Digital Economy Act: ISPs criticize Ofcom code for 'distorting the broadband market'

UK Internet service providers BT and TalkTalk have expressed their frustration that Ofcom's draft code to curb illegal filesharing excludes smaller ISPs and mobile operators from the task of collecting customers' details who have illegally downloaded copyrighted material.

Last week Ofcom released its draft code, which sets out how and when ISPs should notify their subscribers of allegations that their accounts have been used for copyright infringement, following the previous government's rushed passage of the Digital Economy Act. The code will initially only apply to ISPs with more than 400,000 customers, including BT, TalkTalk, Virgin Media, Sky, Orange, O2 and the Post Office.