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Yet more details have emerged highlighting once again what a farcical, short-sighted and logistically and economically nightmarish piece of legislation the Digital Britain Bill is set to be.
Well, not all of it, but massive important bits of it. The Times reported on Monday a figure of £500 million - that's what ministers have apparently admitted it will cost UK taxpayers to foot the costs of ISPs writing letters to illegal file sharers to cease and desist, slowing their connections and disconnecting them.
This of course will probably come as no surprise to anyone but Peter Mandelson, who seems hell bent on forcing this legislative shambles through parliament before he is banished from power. Not since the dying days of the last Tory government have we seen such poorly thought-out legislation coming before parliament.
The ISPs are rightly a bit miffed at the government's proposals. Long time outspoken opponent and Talk Talk chief Charles Dunstone told the Times: "Broadband consumers shouldn't have to bail out the music industry. If they really think it's worth spending vast sums of money on these measures then they should be footing the bill; not the consumer."
BT went further, with MD of BT Retail, John Petter, likening the bill to the dangerous dogs legislation passed by John Major's lame duck government in the 90s.
"Put yourself in the shoes of a small businessman who has a rogue member of staff. Your internet access could get cut off because of the actions of one individual. It really feels like the UK is out on a limb with these proposals compared to the rest of the world," he's reported as saying.
We shouldn't be surprised, of course, that the government and the BPI, representing the interests of the content providers, have tried to play down the figures, no more than we should if say the Chinese authorities execute a mentally ill foreigner. It's just the way things are.
But with a General Election looming ever larger over the horizon, it seems the main hope opponents of the Bill have is that time will run out and the whole sorry mess goes back to the drawing board.
30 Dec 2009
