Government will not repeal Digital Economy Act

Ed Vaizey can see both sides of the story

Culture and media minister Ed Vaizey has indicated that the government will not reverse the unpopular elements of the Digital Economy Act before it comes into effect in 2012, saying there are two sides to the story.

Vaizey saw a challenge in the Commons from Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert, who warned of deep concerns held about certain sections of the act among ISPs such as BT and TalkTalk, as well as members of the public such as creative content providers and those who went to the Open Rights Group conference last Saturday.

Huppert said during a questions session in the Commons: "Given that the act was rushed through in the dying days of the last government, will he ensure that there is proper scrutiny of not just the details but the principle of the sections which many of us oppose?"

Vaizey said in response: "I am aware of the concerns that the honorable gentleman mentions.

"It is important to emphasise that the technical measures in those sections would not come in until at least 2012, and that this House and the [Lords] will have a chance to debate the matter in full under the super-affirmative procedure."

SNP MP Pete Wishart, a former member of Runrig, said he was looking for representation from those who work in the creative industries – referring to the 1.8 million people who depend on the sector for their jobs and the 250,000 whose jobs are at risk from illegal downloading.

Vaizey said Wishart's point was "well made", however, he went on to say: " There are two sides to the story. I have met many content owners in the past few months to discuss the matter, and they are keen to have measures in place to combat illegal downloading."

Earlier, culture and media secretary Jeremy Hunt blamed the outgoing Labour government for the coalition's decision to delay the pledge to ensure the universal provision of broadband at 2Mbit/s to 2015.

He said the Brown administration had allocated less than half the money needed to implement the undertaking to ensure universal provision by the end of 2012.

Former IT minister Stephen Timms said the government's plan to use licence fee top-up funding to roll out superfast broadband would not be available until 2013, compared with the £150m that Labour's phone levy would have produced within three months.

Hunt said his government is committed to rolling out superfast broadband in rural areas as well as cities. Lib Dem MP Stephen Gilbert said to the government: "We'll do everything we can to prevent a digital divide between town and country."