The US National Association of Broadcasters has written to Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell urging the Commission to require a 'broadcast flag' to be transmitted on digital TV programmes.

As Digital Spy reported on Sunday, the broadcast flag would be designed to prevent digital terrestrial TV programmes from being uploaded to the Internet and shared. [More details]

In an ex parte letter to Powell, the NAB said:

"The broadcast flag is necessary to prevent widespread unauthorized redistribution of digital broadcast content over the internet. Without it, high quality programming will migrate off of free television.

"Significantly, the broadcast flag is designed to preserve consumers’ existing rights to copy for their own use programs on a broadcast signal. It is also important for you to recognize that no existing consumer receivers will be made obsolete by the broadcast flag technology.

"It is particularly important that the protection of the broadcast flag apply to all programming on broadcast stations, and thus we oppose any exemption for local news and public affairs programs. Those programs are the major product of local television stations. Their copyright interest in those programs is the same as the interest that program producers have in any other type of program, and local stations should similarly be protected against unauthorized redistribution of their intellectual property."

The FCC is expected to vote on the controversial issue this week.