08 April 2010 | Author: D. Warburton Search Copywriter

Digital Economy Bill approved by Parliament

The government's controversial Digital Economy Bill outlining Britain's internet laws has been passed by MPs in the House of Commons, holding on to most of its clauses.

The Bill was passed by a majority of 189 votes to 47, following its third reading and after two hours of debate that saw certain clauses being withdrawn or replaced. The Telegraph reports that the unpopular Clause 43 has been abandoned, which proposed extending the licenses of orphaned copyrighted works, as have plans in the Finance Bill to charge a 50-pence-per-month levy on landlines to fund the rolling out of a national high speed broadband network.

The most contentious issue of the Bill was the former Clause 18, which proposed to cut off the internet connections of illegal file sharers. This clause received widespread criticism for giving politicians unprecedented power to block pirate websites, but despite this being removed, the Bill now contains a similar clause that allows the Secretary of State for Business to block any site that "the court is satisfied has been, is being or is likely to be used for or in connection with an activity that infringes copyright."

There were concerns that the Digital Economy Bill was in danger of being rushed through Parliament due to upcoming election, and although the Bill has passed speedily through the system it seems that it has at least been given due attention.

However, further criticism came from the low turnout of MPs for previous readings of the Bill, and among the dissenting voices on its third and final reading were the Liberal Democrats and certain Labour MPs. The Telegraph also reports that, despite the party's prior objections to the Bill, the Conservatives offered their support at the last minute.

Now only awaiting final approval by the House of Lords, a procedure that is generally viewed as a mere formality, it shouldn't be long before the Digital Economy Bill receives Royal Assent and is passed into law.