Government introduces new Wi-Fi broadband initiative

The UK authorities have put the future of public Wi-Fi accessibility at risk with a suggestion that public bodies such as libraries and universities will be liable for possible prosecution if their system is used to download pirate material. This has come as a major blow to the public sector and the roll out of Wi-Fi across the UK is now potentially at risk. There is no doubt that illegal downloading of material is commonplace in some areas of society but passing policing obligations onto public sector institutions such as libraries and universities is a very dangerous move.

There's no doubt that broadband has brought many cost-saving initiatives to the UK economy and is certain to be a central part of the UK economy going forward. The ability to e-mail material around the world at the touch of a button and access markets which had, prior to the Internet, been unavailable is essential. Whether the government has potentially overlooked the possible implications for libraries and universities for example is debatable but the Digital Economy Bill, after initially being well received, is starting to pose more problems than it has resolved.

Will the UK government step forward with some form of exemption for public sector institutions?