Digital economy bill
The Digital Economy bill is receiving a fair amount of criticism from service providers and users, with ISP TalkTalk being one of the most vocal.
The Financial Times also published a letter stating the plans to suspend internet access to anyone illegally downloading is unfair and specifically criticizing the amendment passed last week in the House of Lords and backed by the Liberal Democrat and Conservative peers.
Internet service providers would be required to block access to certain sites pursuant to court orders.
The letter to the Financial Times states, “blocking access as envisaged by this clause would both widely disrupt the internet in the UK and elsewhere and threaten freedom of speech and the open internet, without reducing copyright infringement as intended. To rush through such a controversial proposal at the tail end of a parliament, without any kind of consultation with consumers or industry, is very poor lawmaking.”
The letter was signed on behalf of Orange, Facebook, Virgin Media, Google UK & Ireland, TalkTalk, ISPA UK, Consumer Focus, Open Rights Group, eBay UK, BT Group, Yahoo! UK & Ireland, Shooting People independent film makers, as well as academics from the University of Leicester, Queen Mary (University of London) and finally Tom Watson MP and Stephen Fry.
The BBC also reports that Chief Executive of BT Ian Livingstone has called for fines instead of disconnections.