Deep joy - the Govt wants to charge us £20pa on behalf of the music industry

[Rik]

The Times reports:

An additional charge for broadband use will be proposed by ministers today as part of a plan to stamp out music and film piracy.

Lord Carter of Barnes, the Communications Minister, will propose the creation of a quango, paid for by a charge that could amount to £20 a year per broadband connection. The idea will be at the heart of the Digital Britain Green Paper to be unveiled by ministers, which includes plans to create jobs by boosting broadband take-up.

The agency would act as a broker between music and film companies and internet service providers (ISPs). It would provide data about serial copyright-breakers to music and film companies if they obtained a court order. It would be paid for by a levy on ISPs, who inevitably would pass the cost on to consumers.

Lord Carter is expected to propose that every house has a legal right to broadband, most likely at the standard 2 megabit speed. There will also be measures to stimulate spending on both fixed and mobile broadband technology, which it is hoped will form part of a broader programme to create 100,000 jobs in "sunrise industries".

Opposition politicians attacked the new tier of bureaucracy. Jeremy Hunt, the Shadow Culture Secretary, said: "A new quango and additional taxes seem a bizarre way to stimulate investment in the digital economy. We have a communications regulator; why, when times are tough, should business have to fund another one?"

Top executives from media and telephone companies will go to 10 Downing Street to hear about Digital Britain before the plans are presented to Parliament at lunchtime.

ISPs and mobile phone companies have been in talks with the music industry about creating "all you can eat" services, where for an annual or monthly fee, subscribers have access to every recorded song. Before Christmas, Nokia launched a £130 phone that allows its owners to download any song released by the world's four major music labels.

[Glenn]

I can see that going down well, my mum doesn't even know what an MP3 file is yet alone how to get one

So is it guilt by association, you have a broadband connection therefore you must be stealing music and films?

[Rik]

It's so patently unfair that only a Govt could come up with it.

[Sebby]

So we'd pay £20pa to download as much music as we like?

[Rik]

I doubt it somehow...

[Sebby]

If that was the deal, I'd be up for it!

[Simon]

Same here, Seb, but I wonder how much of the twenty quid the government will plunder?

[Rik]

About £19.95...

[Ray]

What's this got to do with the Government and the ISPs surely if the Music Industry wants to stop illegal copying, downloading etc. it's up to them to come up with some sort of licencing scheme and police and operate it themselves. Why should people who don't and probably never will download music have to pay for the people who do, will they be wanting a surcharge on our Electricity bills next because we might be watching pirated DVDs?  

[Rik]

Don't give them ideas, Ray.

[Rik]

You can download the report here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/29_01_09digital_britain_interimreport.pdf

[DarkStar]

I wonder if the Music Industry has got this concession in return for a secret donation to the Labour Party coffers 

Ian

[Rik]

That thought had crossed my mind, Ian, the Govt seems keen to treat them in a way which is very favourable to them.

[greenfedora]

If I'm going to get charged £20pa I may as well get my money's worth and start some pirate downloading.

[Simon]

I think that would be a common attitude, Gordon, in which case, the scheme backfires.

[gizmo71]

Well if they mandate at least 2MB/s I get double my current speed!

I wouldn't mind paying 20 squid a year if I was allowed to download anything and everything I wanted!

[Rik]

First a TV licence, then a download licence, what next?

[DarkStar]

Perhaps a license to eat Rik. Perhaps you will have to go on a course to get your license and be subject to snap checks to ensure your not eating anything that isn't government approved     

Ian

[Rik]

Don't even joke about it, Ian - food is sacred.

[zappaDPJ]

I have around 1,500 legitimately bought CDs which equates to at least £15,000 awarded to the music industry. If my broadband connection is surcharged a single penny I will certainly start downloading music, something I've never done before. It'll save me a packet and it'll be their loss, not mine.

What about the film industry, the software industry, the literary world? It's a slippery slope and this has to to be stopped before everyone jumps on the bandwagon.

[Rik]

I suspect the film industry is linked to this move, Zappa. It is plain crazy, equivalent to asking us to pay extra to tax cars to compensate for those that don't (they probably do anyway, it's just they don't make it obvious!).

[Sebby]

First a TV licence, then a download licence, what next?

Breathing license? Actually, we kind of pay that already if you think about how many taxes there are!

[Rik]

There's only one thing I can think of which isn't taxed yet.. 

[Sebby]

Tax itself?

[zappaDPJ]

Having skimmed through the report it does seem to encompass the film industry as well as a few other organisations