Broadband Tax for Brits?

Davey Winder
Saturday, 24 January 2009 18:05

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

How would you tackle the problem of online movie and music piracy? The British Government is wondering if a broadband tax might be the answer.

Microsoft reckons that some 60 percent of 11 to 16 year olds prefer pirated movies and music to legit downloads.  Not all that surprising when you consider 84 percent of parents don't really know what their kids are up to online.

The Pirate Bay in Sweden is the biggest BitTorrent tracker on the planet, with well in excess of 25 million pirates signed up for duty.

Meanwhile, over in the UK, it is estimated that the average teen has 842 illegal tracks on his or her iPod. No wonder that the Government is considering taken action.

The type of action, of course, is the problem. Rather than focus on those users who are actually doing the illegal downloading, it seems that the UK Government might simply tar everyone with the same brush.

And tap everyone for the same tax. Yes, the solution to the piracy problem being considered, if reports are to be believed, is a broadband tax for every user to help offset entertainment industry losses.

Jeez Louise, is that really the best that Communications Minister Lord Carter can come up with? We will find out next week when the Digital Britain report is published, but leaks suggest it is.

Of course, the music and movie moguls have been lobbying for just such a levy by way of compensation for years. Now it seems they might get their evil way as Lord Carter is said to be 'sympathetic' to such proposals.

The Telegraph predicts that he will start by setting up a new Governmental (well mental at any rate) 'Rights Agency' to investigate further.

Who will sit on this new body? Why the music and movie industry folk of course, along no doubt with some token input from consumer groups and ISPs.