By: MarkJ - 19 November, 2009 (7:52 AM) - Views: 508 - Categories: Fixed Line Broadband, Illegal Downloads

Some readers might be wondering why we haven't mentioned yesterdays Queens Speech and the reason is simple; it had nothing new to say. Instead the Digital Economy Bill, which contains the real meat, will be touted in parliament today and revealed in full tomorrow. Only then will we learn exactly how the government plans to go about imposing its "three-strikes" system for disconnecting "suspected" illegal downloader’s from their broadband ISP.

Notable by its absence was any mention of the government’s commitment (USC) to making a minimum broadband speed of 2Mbps available to everybody in the UK by 2012. The 50p per month tax on all fixed phone lines (i.e. Next Generation Fund), which will help to fund the rollout of next generation broadband networks, was also missing.

It's understood that the 2Mbps USC was not mentioned because it apparently does not require further legislation and money has already been allocated. The USC has so far received only minimal opposition, though we expect the final solution proposals to be deeply inadequate; Satellite? No thanks. Mobile Broadband? Maybe, if it can cope with the capacity demands. BT BET? Out of date and overpriced.

Meanwhile we're not expecting to see much in the way of concrete new information concerning the government’s 50p Next Generation Fund until 9th December, which will include it in the usual pre-budget report. Mind you, with the Conservative Party planning to scrap it, many doubt this tax will ever see the light of day.