Wednesday saw the Queen’s speech used as a platform from which the Government could announce various new pieces of legislation. The most important news for broadband users was the announcement of the Digital Economy Bill, which will change the rules relating to illegal file-sharing and online piracy.

Those who download illegally will first be contacted and urged to cease and desist. If they ignore the warnings, they could have their connections limited as pressure is put on internet service providers to take the issues of file sharing more seriously.

The most persistent offenders could face having their internet connections disabled altogether, resulting in a system that would effectively ban those who do not respect copyright laws. The UK music industry has welcomed the plans, but lobbyists who campaign for information freedom in the digital age believe that the new rules could penalise people unnecessarily.

The new bill is also set to further establish plans for the growth of a high-speed broadband network across the UK. On Monday, the Digital Britain minister Stephen Timms told a broadband conference in Leeds that there was a governmental commitment to get the next generation of broadband connectivity into over 90% of UK households within the next 8 years. BT broadband deals which offer 20Mbps connections are representative of the first wave of this new, faster broadband infrastructure.

In order to pay for the BT broadband deals of the future the 50p broadband tax, levied against phone bills for UK customers, is still going ahead. This will further supplement the £170 million that is being injected into the industry in order to achieve universal broadband coverage by 2012.

Although an increasing number of providers are gradually offering 20Mbps connections, further telephone exchanges need to be converted to the new technology to enable a greater number of UK residents to connect at high speeds in the future.