Digital Economy Bill threatens free public WiFi in UK

There are serious concerns details in the Digital Economy Bill could spell bad news for free public WiFi access throughout the UK.

So threatening are the penalties associated with the failure to comply with new requirements of the Bill legal experts are warning popular WiFi access spots including universities, libraries and cafes could end up opting to cease their WiFi offerings altogether, or fear facing hefty fines if they don't play by the Bill's rules.

According to Lilian Edwards, professor of internet law at Sheffield University there is a strong danger the Digital Economy Bill could “outlaw open WiFi for small businesses.” Speaking to ZDNet she explained her concern: “This is going to be a very unfortunate measure for small businesses, particularly in a recession, many of whom are using open free WiFi very effectively as a way to get the punters in”. She added “Even if they password protect, they then have two options – to pay someone like The Cloud to manage it for them, or take responsibility themselves for becoming an internet service provider effectively, and keep records for everyone they assign connections to, which is an impossible burden for a small café.”

Unfortunately, it’s not just small business that could be affected by new rules and regulations enforced by the bill. Even public libraries or university campuses would have to adhere to the Bill, causing problems for anyone attempting to access free WiFi for study purposes. According to Lord Young, a minister at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) exempting libraries “would send entirely the wrong signal and could lead to ‘fake’ organisations being set up, claiming an exemption and become a hub for copyright infringement.”