TalkTalk CEO sticks two fingers up at Mandy

It was reported yesterday that Charles Dunstone, Chief Executive of Carphone Warehouse, said if the Digital Economy Bill is enacted he would be prepared to fight the Government in court.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, he said:

he refused to send his customers who were suspected file-sharers warning letters about their supposed activity or disconnect them, even if these clauses of the bill became law.

He explained that he may choose instead to fight the Government in court, if his lobbying fails and that his company would “consider all its options” should these clauses in the Digital Economy Bill go through.

Why the fuss? The Digital Economy bill is now close to the committee stage at the House of Lords, and aims to implement a government report called Digital Britain. Mr Dunstone also heads the ISP, TalkTalk – and under the Bill, all ISP’s will have a legal obligation to firstly warn those suspected of illegal filesharing – and if it persists, to disconnect them.

TalkTalk have launched a petition against the Bill called ‘DontDisconnectUs’ which now has nearly 32,000 signatures and has drawn praise from several quarters, not least from Stephen Fry. It must be said, Mr Dunstone’s stance is as bold as it is morally praiseworthy. Is it sustainable though? What are other ISP’s going to do?

In an earlier interview with the Daily Telegraph, Dunstone claimed that:

“we don't support copyright infringement in any way but we live in the real world and understand that no amount of policing and censorship will solve the problem.

“It doesn't matter how many websites are blocked, how many services are shut down or how many individuals are pursued, people will always find ways to access copyrighted content for free.”

Moving away from Dunstonian heroism, but not from the Bill itself: Francis Davey - a Barrister specialising in computer and internet law - wrote a piece for the Open Rights Group, warning that the Bill goes much further than seeking to implement provisions relating to copyright infringement.

The bill gives enormous powers - exercisable with no Parliamentary oversight - to the Secretary of State to require the disconnection of individuals' internet access for any reason. Not only is there no requirement for such disconnections to relate to a number of "strikes" there is no need for disconnection to be linked to infringement of copyright.

In short, if the Bill goes through, it would appear to grant Lord Mandelson massive powers to control and meddle with the internet usage of UK residents. Digital Britain, it would seem, has its emperor.

By Edward Hockings

Comments

[Purlieu]

Let me guess - the Digital Economy Bill has more clauses in it restricting the use of digital systems/media than it does of promoting them.

[Jimbo]

Mandy really is a madman, a megalomaniac: I say it with impunity. However, if the Bill goes through with these wide-sweeping powers Edward Hockings, Purlieu and I will probably be disconnected! The Bill is just a straightforward attack on free speech and must be killed.

[Julie]

Its the same with the Childrens Bill going through now. The Childrens Bill gives rights to alter whatever they like about Home Education, to give whatever powers they like, to whomever they like, without any recourse back to parliment. The same as this Bill, it has no boundries, its just a skeleton, where they can hang whatever ammendment to the Bill with no brakes to their power whatsoever.