ISPA welcomes Digital Britain Review

The recent announcement that the Government considers the internet an integral part of modern society was embraced by the Internet Service Providers’ Association (ISPA) of UK, as it welcomed the Digital Britain report as a sign that the Government has finally recognised the importance the internet has in the UK’s society and economy.

Nicholas Lansman, the ISPA Secretary General, stated that the report has brought a large amount of recognition of the need for high internet speeds and widespread access, and will be eagerly anticipating the suggestions and recommendations of the Government for making the internet better for all UK citizens.

The ISPA also welcomed the Government’s statements that all internet activity must take place within legal constraints and that a framework needs to be erected to address security concerns and the never-ending problem of illegal downloading.

The recommendations of the report state that the creative industries (music, television, film, and book) need to work on approaches to protect copyrighted material online, which the ISPA has attempted to kick start by holding discussions with content distributors about the easiest way to solve the problem.

Other areas of the report that the ISPA agreed with included the Government’s decision that ISPs should not be forced to punish P2P file sharers by disconnecting them, as it is not the ISP’s responsibility to enforce legal matters.

The Government added to the report that the legal system needs to develop its own legal defence in the courtroom to deal with those who regularly infringe on copyright.

Additionally, the ISPA supports other measures such as using public funding to achieve its new internet related goals, the encouragement of infrastructure investment, and the introduction of the Home Office Task Force to deal with internet regulation.