Virgin's BPI Deal & Net Neutrality Attack Played Down

Author Gordon Kelly
Published 17th Apr 2008
Virgin's BPI Deal & Net Neutrality Attack Played Down
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Restoring some of its tainted image this week is Virgin Media with two bits of good news...

Firstly, BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor has confirmed talk Virgin had agreed a deal to report illegal file sharers is premature.

"Unfortunately it simply isn't true that we have agreed a pilot - or any sort of deal - with Virgin Media, though we continue to work towards that. We think that every socially responsible ISP should help their customers avoid the illegal use of their broadband account."

We beg to differ about the 'Unfortunately' bit Geoff - as does the European Parliament.


Secondly, following some seriously worrying comments from new Virgin CEO Neil Berkett describing net neutrality as "a load of bollocks" I spoke to the ISP to try and get a better picture. Attempting to play down the furore Berkett had caused, a company spokesperson explained:

"We strongly support the principle that the Internet should remain a space that is open to all and we have not called for content providers to pay for distribution. However we recognise that as more customers turn to the web for content, different providers will have different needs and priorities and in the long term, it's legitimate to question how this demand will be managed. We welcome an informed debate on this issue."

Yep it's a qualified step back, but an important one. Nevertheless a vital battle to preserve the very ethos behind the Internet is clearly looming.

Link:
BPI Statement

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