Government asks for Digital Britain feedback

The Digital Britain report was published on 16 June

The government has published an online "commentable version" of the Digital Britain report which was published last week.

The report sets out draft legislation on areas such as illegal downloading and radio licensing, and suggests changes to the UK's digital infrastructure in order to fulfill the government's pledge to bring broadband services to all citizens, and to modify broadcasting environments to reflect the shift to digital services.

Additionally, the report sets out changes to the Video Recordings Act on how video games are classified.

"Please remember that the final report has, of course, been published, so this isn't an opportunity to alter the report itself. However, it does give you the chance to provide suggestions to how the report might be implemented," said a government comment in the Digital Britain forum.

The most contentious issue in the report concerns government plans to reduce illegal downloads by 80 per cent over the next two years by giving new powers to Ofcom.

Ofcom will work with internet service providers (ISPs) to target individuals sharing files with peers, and send them written warnings. If a warning does not work, the identity of the downloader will be given to the copyright holder who will then be able to take legal action.

Many had expected the government to encourage ISPs to offer different priced service packages depending on how much an individual downloads. The ISPs would then reimburse the copyright holders accordingly.