"We filled the vacancy the next day"
Digital economy bill 'could lead to reduction in number of UK wireless hotspots'
The government's proposed digital economy bill could lead to reduction in the number of wireless hotspots across UK, lobbying groups have claimed.
Free or public broadband networks are of benefit to many IT professionals who are mobile at work, such as public sector staff.
However, the bill makes providers of public Wi-Fi connections liable for legal infractions (generally seen to be copyright infringements) made by their users, potentially causing trouble for universities, libraries and small businesses such as internet cafes.
Mark Jackson, editor of ISPreview.co.uk, noted that the bill could mean that the creation of free or public wireless networks could easily be seen as more of a risk than a benefit, which was likely to hamper the spread of internet access.
"The knock-on effect would be a lower desire for enterprising individuals and companies to run community wireless schemes and services," he said.
"At its most extreme it could even lead to a reduction in the number of wireless hotspots around the country."
Lobbying group the Open Rights Group have spoken out against the bill on their official blog, arguing that it could "make life very difficult" for a large number of users.
Posted by Rich Carruthers
Free or public broadband networks are of benefit to many IT professionals who are mobile at work, such as public sector staff.
However, the bill makes providers of public Wi-Fi connections liable for legal infractions (generally seen to be copyright infringements) made by their users, potentially causing trouble for universities, libraries and small businesses such as internet cafes.
Mark Jackson, editor of ISPreview.co.uk, noted that the bill could mean that the creation of free or public wireless networks could easily be seen as more of a risk than a benefit, which was likely to hamper the spread of internet access.
"The knock-on effect would be a lower desire for enterprising individuals and companies to run community wireless schemes and services," he said.
"At its most extreme it could even lead to a reduction in the number of wireless hotspots around the country."
Lobbying group the Open Rights Group have spoken out against the bill on their official blog, arguing that it could "make life very difficult" for a large number of users.
Posted by Rich Carruthers
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