Re: 'bos Custom Radio Service

[hmglaz@webtv.net (Howard Glazer)]

So, can we stick a fork in all Webcasting, or just US-based Webcasting?
I'd imagine that non-US broadcasters and Webcasters can stream to their
hearts' content on their own foreign-based servers, paying only whatever
fees are due to their own countries' copyright agencies, unions,
governments and the like, right?

There's a lot of really good Internet radio coming from overseas. While
I'll miss Live365 -- which says it will go under if the new fees become
law -- I await enterprising offshore interests setting up their own
do-it-yourself streaming outlets out of reach of the RIAA, AFTRA and the
rest. They can get their advertising from gambling services, which also
have been forced offshore, not by greed but by latter-day Puritans in
government.

Now, can someone please explain why all these fees will be retroactive
to 1998? Did broadcasters and Webcasters stream their programming for
years while knowing that (a) copyright law was unclear, and (b) they'd
be liable for thousands and thousands of dollars for past streaming if
the copyright panel didn't see things their way? Why would anyone take
that kind of gamble, especially knowing the clout of the musical
entertainment industry in Washington?

Howard