New Legislation with Disconnection Policy to Be Enforced By April 2010
The Department of Business, Skills and Innovation has recently announced that the government is going ahead with the enforcement of a new legislation to tackle the problem of illegal file sharing by April 2010. Stringent disconnection policy will follow this legislation in 2011if the problem is not solved.
This enactment is a consequence of the earlier confirmation by Business Secretary Lord Mandelson of the efforts of the government to reduce the problem of illegal downloading. The government has proposed that offenders will initially be punished with caps on their broadband usage and with reduction on the speed of their access. However, failing these simple measures, the government proposes disconnection as the best way to curb the menace.
Ofcom, the telecommunications regulatory body, has been asked to monitor and report such illegal usage.
This move of the government has not been well received in the communications sector, with ISPs protesting against such measures. A representative of TalkTalk told the BBC that such measures are principally wrong and practically impossible to implement. He further added that if the government forces ISPs to implement such measures then they would have no alternative but to challenge them in court.
Lord Mandelson, on the other hand, speaking to the Cabinet Forum stated that disconnection is the last stage of punishment for such offenders, who will be given two warnings first to stop their activities. Failure to respond to these warnings will result in disconnection, which can however be challenged by the aggrieved.
Internet service and content providers will have to share the costs of implementation of these measures.
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