Another ISP speaks out against Digital Economy Bill

Following the passing of the Digital Economy Bill through the House of Lords recently yet another Internet Service Provider has expressed concern over the lack of debate involved.

It was recently announced that the British Digital Economy Bill, which was part of Lord Mandelson’s Digital Britain plan, had passed through the House of Lords, but according to reports amendments were made or thrown out at that stage with little or no consultation. The lack of debate over such an important Bill has sparked a lot of controversy, and a number of Internet service providers have expressed their anger and concern over the handling of the Digital Economy Bill.

The Bill is now waiting to go through parliament, and many believe that it will be rushed through in time for the election, which is expected to be held on 6th May. One of the amendments that have caused the most controversy is amendment 120A, which could force ISPs to block websites that are responsible for substantial copyright infringement.

ISPs believe that proper consultation should have been sorted out with regards to amendments such as these, and Talk Talk, Orange, and BT are amongst the ISPs that have already expressed their concerns. Another Internet Service Provider, Entanet, has now also expressed similar concerns, stating that the amendment should have gone to consultation with all relevant stakeholders.

An official from the firm said that amendment 120A was not an ideal solution because it was leaning too much in favour of rights holders. He said: “Many of the take-down notices are unlikely to even make it to court – it also has a major impact on freedom of speech and creativity on the internet and is potentially the first step along the rocky road towards censorship.”

Source – Top10-Broadband