Sky shows support for Digital Economy Bill

According to recent reports the broadband and communications giant Sky has shown some support for the Digital Economy Bill, which was recently passed into law and which many other Internet service providers have vehemently opposed.

Since the Digital Economy Bill in the UK was launched last year it has met with fierce opposition from consumers, campaign groups, and many Internet providers, such as Talk Talk, which has been very vocal about what it thinks of the Digital Economy Bill. In particular the area that those opposing the bill have been concerned about relates to copyright infringement and illegal file sharing, which could see the government forcing ISPs to block certain websites and could see broadband users being disconnected for alleged illegal file sharing.

However, despite the opposition from other ISPs the communications and broadband giant Sky has recently indicated that it supports the bill to some degree, with Jeremy Darroch, the Chief Executive of Sky, stating that rights holders and ISPs need to work together to try and resolve these issues.

Darroch, who was speaking at a recent MIP TV event, said that it was not just the music industry that was being affected by illegal downloading and copyright infringement, which has reportedly cost the industry a fortune in lost revenues. Sky claims that content industry is also suffering as a result of illegal downloading, and this is a matter that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Officials believe that Sky is able to see both sides of the argument, as it is an Internet service provider but is also a content provider. It is also thought that if the matter is not addressed this type of activity could get worse as broadband speeds get faster giving consumers more capabilities.

Source- Tech Watch