UK government forced to redraft Digital Economy Bill
The UK government has been forced into an embarrassing U-turn amid signs that the Digital Economy Bill, which has attracted so much controversy, would have been blocked in Parliament in its current form. This comes despite the fact that the UK government only days ago confirmed plans to rush through the Digital Economy Bill with little or no time for discussion, ahead of the next general election.
While there are a number of issues which have caught the attention of businesses, consumers and regulators around the UK, it is the fact that power will be passed to the courts to disconnect those alleged to be involved in copyright infringement, without recourse for appeal, which is proving a major sticking point. There are other issues hidden away deep within the Bill which are also causing concern but it is the fact that so much power has been handed to media companies and the courts which is upsetting many people.
The Liberal Democrats have publicly confirmed they will not allow the bill to go through the Houses of Parliament in its current form, which has forced the UK government to water down the power which the bill would have transferred to various bodies. While there is no doubt that copyright infringement and the illegal downloading of files is a major problem on the Internet, many believe the Digital Economy Bill is using a sledge hammer to crack a nut.
Share this..
Related stories
Energy bills will rise, SSE warns
Energy bills seem set to rise further before winter, the head of Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) has indicated.According to the energy provider, high wholesale prices for gas and electricity will cause the rises for its nine million customers.With the owners of British Gas, Centrica, making similar comments recently, it is likely that most UK householders will be paying more in months to come.The...
Read MoreScottish government warned not to rule out tuition fees
Despite the fact that the Scottish government has promised a "unique solution to Scottish further education fees" the SNP has been warned not to rule out tuition fees north of the border. The warning comes from the UK government which has for many years operated at a disadvantage to its Scottish counterpart in relation to tuition fees. The tuition fee system was abolished in Scotland some time ago...
Read MoreBrits refuse to switch despite savings
Despite the massive media campaigns telling the UK population that switching power providers could save them money, nearly half of Brits have not switched gas or electricity firms.Consumer watchdog Which? reports that a new customer can potentially benefit from a 25 per cent cheaper gas or electricity bill and £245 was saved on average on 2006's bills, yet few Brits choose to embrace a change. Sc...
Read MoreUK Consumers Set To Be Hit By Crippling Inflation
It seems as though the prospect of UK inflation hitting over 4% in the next few months is a real reality with news that the current rate has increased to 3.3%, well above the governments 2% target. This really is bad news for the UK consumer with living costs set to spiral yet higher over the coming 12 months. If the price of oil also continues to rise then we could see the problem magnified, ca...
Read MoreIs embarrassment holding back the reporting of fraud?
Despite the fact that a number of reports on both off-line and online fraud in the UK have shown a significant rise in victim numbers, there is growing concern that the vast majority of frauds are never reported to the authorities. Recently we saw the announcement that 15,000 frauds have been reported to the National Fraud Centre in the first quarter of 2010 which is a significant increase on prev...
Read More