Digital Economy bill passes in the UK

As England goes, so go we. Look for similar legislation with the same sorts of penalties here in the US very soon because in the US, corporations get what they want all the time without ever having to compromise...or pay taxes.

###

Screw you, Internet?
By Nate Anderson

The UK's Labour government, partnering with the Conservatives, yesterday pushed through the controversial Digital Economy bill over opposition from Liberal Democrats and some in its own party. The bill allows the UK courts to order complete blocks on websites, it requires ISPs to start sending P2P warning letters from copyright holders, and it opens the door to throttling and Internet disconnection for repeat infringement.

As we discussed yesterday, the bill was moved quickly through the "wash-up" process that occurs at the end of a Parliamentary session. Opponents and critics of the bill argued that such changes to the UK's Internet were too important to head through Commons after a couple hours of debate; surely they could wait until after the election?

Conservatives have been promising that, should they win the May 6 election, they will patch up any problem areas in the hastily passed bill. This argument was blasted yesterday during the bill's third reading, when one MP said (read the debate transcript):

"I was rather taken aback yesterday to hear someone—I think it was the Conservative Front Bencher—say, 'Let's just get this Bill through and if there's anything wrong with it, we can put it right.' Ten years into being here, I know that if we do things in a hurry and get them wrong, the law of unintended consequences always kicks in. It would be far better to remove [controversial] clauses 11 to 18 and have a period of reflection."

No such reflection was allowed. The bill was voted on for the second time in two days, it passed Commons (and previously passed the Lords), and now waits only for the automatic Royal Assent to become law.

The bill has at least prompted both Labour and Conservatives to pledge support for 2Mbps minimum broadband everywhere in the UK. There is also a robust appeals process for those who want to contest copyright infringement notices (though at their own expense).

That didn't appease the Open Rights Group, which today replaced its homepage with this: