I'm not really sure what Harry Potter has to do with it, but long time cyberlawyer Mike Godwin, the new Senior Technology Counsel for Public Knowledge, has written a brilliant essay dissecting the issues involved in the transition to digital television and actually proposes an innovative solution that would help spur broadband and PC sales. The solution is not only good for consumers, but politically feasible as well. Unfortunately, although the plan is politically feasible, politics being what they are, it will probably take Congress and the FCC too long to figure out that this solves most of their problems.
Read the press release (Public Interest Group Offers "Harry Potter" Alternative Fix For The Digital Television Transition). Read the paper (Harry Potter and the Prisoners of the DTV Transition: An Adventure in Digital Television Policy) or the PDF version (Harry Potter and the Prisoners of the DTV Transition: An Adventure in Digital Television Policy [PDF]).
UPDATE 0700 12 Dec 2002
This essay was actually submitted as an appendix to Public Knowledge's comments to the FCC on the broadcast flag. Read PK's comments here (Comments of Public Knowledge and Consumers Union).