Stephen Timms highlights its important social, commercial, and economic benefits, but doesn’t say why it’s still okay to disconnect entire households under a three-strikes regime where the most egregious file-sharers – for whom the law would intended – can easily elude copyright holders anyways.
The UK’s Digital Britain MP Stephen Timms made some interesting comments in the Telegraph recently that ought to make more people realize just how serious the discussion about disconnecting people from the Internet really is.
Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, who feels Digital Britain’s current timetable, which stands at 2-3 yrs for a 70% reduction using a combination of notifications and technical measures, would take an “unacceptable amount of time to complete in a situation that calls for urgent action,” has proposed giving ISPs the power to disconnect repeat offenders ala a “three-strikes” graduated response system.
However, Timms notes the importance of broadband in people’s lives and it ought to give the public pause before listening to copyright holders who want ISPs to do their dirty work for them.
“Broadband is no longer considered a luxury – it has become an essential service delivering social, commercial and economic benefits,” he writes.
Exactly.
It’s just as Prime Minister Gordon Brown said this past June when he said the “Internet is as vital as water and gas.”
“Whether it is to work online, study, learn new skills, pay bills or simply stay in touch with friends and family, a fast internet connection is now seen by most of the public as an essential service, as indispensable as electricity, gas and water.”
UK Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, in an address to the House of Commons culture, media and sport committee last week, said that file-sharers wouldn’t be disconnected “willy nilly” and would now have the right of appeal.
However, it still belies the true reality of it all which is that the majority of file-sharers, especially the most egregious offenders, will simply turn to alternative methods of P2P (if they haven’t already) outside the detection methods of copyright holders.
Some 41 MPS, and counting, have already signed Tom Watson’s, UK Labor MP for West Bromwich East, Early Day Motion (EDM) stating their belief that “disconnecting alleged offenders will be futile given that it is relatively easy for determined file-sharers to mask their identity or their activity to avoid detection.”
Add to that a recent Wi-Fi survey conducted by ISP Talk Talk, which found that some 41% of connections were vulnerable to hijacking and you have to wonder what the govt will actually accomplish, and there ought to be greater concern over taking away people’s “essential” services.
Stay tuned.
jared@zeropaid.com
Related Posts
- Digital Britain Report – No ‘Three-Strikes’ for File-Sharers
- Australian ISPs May Also Ban File-Sharers from the Internet
- Japanese ISPs to Ban File-Sharers from the Internet
- Kiwi Minister Suggests ISP tax for P2P
- UK Cops, Spies Blast “3-Strikes”
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