Access to free public wireless broadband internet may be disrupted because of the forthcoming Digital Economy Bill, a law professor has claimed.
Popular WiFi access spots such as universities, libraries and cafés could end up stopping offering WiFi altogether or get hefty fines if they don't play by the Bill's rules.
According to Lilian Edwards, professor of internet law at Sheffield University, the Bill could "outlaw open WiFi for small businesses".
She explained her concern to ZDNet: "This is going to be a very unfortunate measure for small businesses, particularly in a recession, many of whom are using open free WiFi very effectively as a way to get the punters in.
"Even if they password-protect, they then have two options: to pay someone like The Cloud to manage it for them or take responsibility themselves for becoming an internet service provider effectively and keep records for everyone they assign connections to, which is an impossible burden for a small café."
This would be a hugely regressive step if it were to take place, as WiFi broadband access is a key element of mobile broadband provision in the UK, in addition to the 3G mobile broadband network.
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