Business secretary Lord Mandelson has lashed out at the Tories for
emaciating
the government's
Digital
Economy bill which is expected to become law in the "wash-up" rush
to rescue
legislation that would otherwise fall with the dissolution of
Parliament.
He hit out at Labour's first election campaign press conference after the Tories blocked a section of the Finance bill imposing the 50p-per-line telephone levy to finance the rollout of superfast broadband nationwide. They also deleted sections of the Digital Economy bill intended to "reboot" the economy and orientate it away from City financial services.
Among sections of the bill which are being abandoned are proposals to fund regional television news on ITV and authorise the use of "orphan material" whose copyright is not apparent.
The key section to survive is a crackdown on internet piracy, with a requirement for ISPs to identify, warn, threaten and then cut off persistent copyright theft offenders.
Even this has been watered down.
Mandelson said of the Tory strategy: "The blow that they have tried to strike against the digital economy legislation shows that they just do not understand what we need to do to build up industries for the future."
The final shape of the legislation will be confirmed tonight Thursday when the two bills emerge from a further process in the Lords, receive Royal Assent and become law.
He hit out at Labour's first election campaign press conference after the Tories blocked a section of the Finance bill imposing the 50p-per-line telephone levy to finance the rollout of superfast broadband nationwide. They also deleted sections of the Digital Economy bill intended to "reboot" the economy and orientate it away from City financial services.
Among sections of the bill which are being abandoned are proposals to fund regional television news on ITV and authorise the use of "orphan material" whose copyright is not apparent.
The key section to survive is a crackdown on internet piracy, with a requirement for ISPs to identify, warn, threaten and then cut off persistent copyright theft offenders.
Even this has been watered down.
Mandelson said of the Tory strategy: "The blow that they have tried to strike against the digital economy legislation shows that they just do not understand what we need to do to build up industries for the future."
The final shape of the legislation will be confirmed tonight Thursday when the two bills emerge from a further process in the Lords, receive Royal Assent and become law.