Ofcom Refrains from Commenting on the Digital Economy Act Threshold In Spite of Market Rumours
The Digital Economy Bill was supported and pushed forward by those who believed that it would curb illegal file sharing. However, it was criticised by a large number of people who said that the law does not provide any precise way for deciding which user will be liable for downloading files illegally from the website.
The bill has now become an Act and requires the internet service providers (ISPs) to help the content builders in curbing piracy through illegal file sharing. The ISPs will have to co-operate in sending warning letters to the accused. If the accused persists, he or she may also find the network disconnected temporarily or the bandwidth restricted. It has been feared that the cost of implementation would be too high for ISPs, as they would be always worried about being held liable for the actions of their users. Wi-Fi service providers may suffer extinction.
However, it seems that Ofcom is trying to consider these difficulties while creating a Code of Practice for the Act. According to the Registrar, market rumours suggest that Ofcom is defining the threshold for the application of the Act in a manner that mobile broadband providers and small fixed-line ISPs will fall outside the scope of the regulations and will not have to follow the Act. The rationale for the same is that they will be unable to meet the costs of implementation.
The rumour has not been confirmed or rejected by Ofcom as it has not made any statement yet.
Users can keep up-to-date with the developments at Broadband Genie. The web site maintains latest reviews and consumers can compare the services and requirements for the ISPs and mobile broadband networks; a useful resource for those requiring introductory help and worth look at for the contract laptop deals - handy for web browsing on the move.