US lawmakers are planning to pass an act which could force US ISPs to block websites that offer pirated intellectual property. The sites could host pirated music, movies and TV shows, as both free or paid for downloads. The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act has been proposed by Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from […]
Three complementary measures to facilitate the roll out and take up of fast and ultra-fast broadband in the EU have been adopted by the European Commission. The package comprises a Commission Recommendation on regulated access to Next Generation Access (NGA) networks that provides regulatory certainty to telecom operators, ensuring an appropriate balance between the need […]
Ofcom has officially handed responsibility for the regulation of editorial content of video-on-demand services to the Association for Television on Demand. Ofcom first designated ATVOD as co-regulator for on-demand editorial content in March. Last month the independent regulator revealed it would jointly regulate the VOD ad market with the Advertising Standards Authority once new codes […]
Copyright holders would be paying 75 per cent of any infringement challenge costs according to the Minister of Communications, Ed Vaizey. ISP’s would be paying the remaining 25 per cent of the costs. This will include funding free appeals for those who are accused of downloading or sharing copyrighted material, though the Department says it […]
A government advisory group is criticising the British government’s plans for the digital radio switchover, saying 2015 is too soon for making the switch. The Consumer Expert Group said in a report to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that it is concerned about the inadequacy of research into consumer preferences regarding buying digital […]
MoCA, the worldwide standard for home entertainment networking, has confirmed its membership in CEDIA, the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association. Membership is part of the Alliance’s strategy of educating electronic system contractors about the technological and economic benefits of MoCA technology for moving HD content around the home using already existing coaxial […]
The Government has received the first salvo in what will be a long lobbying war over News Corp’s proposed takeover of Sky. Claire Enders of Enders Analysis, has bestowed a 20-page submission on Mr Business Secretary Vince Cable (assumed to be instinctively against the deal), urging him to step in or face media plurality in […]
The BBC Trust chairman, Sir Michael Lyons, has reversed an earlier decision to seek a second term and is to step down in May next year. The former local government executive was the first chairman of the BBC Trust, which replaced the board of governors as the corporation’s governance and regulatory body in 2007 […]
The fifth complaint to Ofcom about Project Canvas has arrived from The Open Source Consortium (OSC), a group made up of comprising SME providers of services and support based on open standards. The OSC, which represent 25 or so mainly consultants, is unhappy that Canvas isn’t “open” in the same way Linux is regarded […]
The Digital TV Group (DTG), the industry association for digital TV in the UK, has announced that DTG Testing, the digital television industry’s test and conformance centre, is to provide manufacturers with a single facility for Connected TV, HbbTV, Freeview, Freesat and Digital Tick test and conformance. Additionally, DTG Testing is working with Project […]