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Many systems are migrating to the net, for example paying bills for utilities or other governmental (uk) facilities. If the three strikes legislation were in ac

by sycren 15y ago

Many systems are migrating to the net, for example paying bills for utilities or other governmental (uk) facilities. If the three strikes legislation were in action and someone was cut off, they stand to lose a lot more than just their internet connection. Handling my virgin broadband connection using the ebill site rather than having letters sent every month saves me £5 ($8) per month.

Chris_Newton 15y ago
As a company director in the UK, I am legally responsible for making sure that the company meets its legal and regulatory obligations. Some of those obligations involve filing regular returns with HM Revenue & Customs, Companies House, etc. Some of those filings must now be made using on-line systems. As a citizen in the UK, I am also legally responsible for providing various information to government departments and renewing various statutory services and licences from time to time: filing a personal tax return, driving licence, TV licence, electoral registration, etc. Once again, much of this is now done on-line, though I don't think any of the above are on-line only yet. I'm not sure I'd go as far as putting Internet access on the level of "fundamental human right". As someone concerned about the recent erosion of far too many genuinely fundamental rights in far too many places, that seems like a loss of perspective. But you can't be asking people to file legal stuff on-line one minute, evangelising about high-speed nationwide broadband as an engine for getting the economy moving again the next minute, and then threatening to cut people off from the Internet based on... less than robust arguments made in some extra-judicial process, let's say. That just doesn't make any sense at all.
- pbhjpbhj 15y ago
  Thanks for putting this case so clearly. Agreed.
- sycren 15y ago
  You're right, it doesn't make any sense to call it a fundamental right on that basis, but would you not say that by filling out these forms or by using the Internet in other ways you are more efficient than if you could not use it at all? If this is true, would this not then put you at a significant commercial disadvantage without the internet against your competitors?

by sycren 15y ago

Chris_Newton 15y ago

As a company director in the UK, I am legally responsible for making sure that the company meets its legal and regulatory obligations. Some of those obligations involve filing regular returns with HM Revenue & Customs, Companies House, etc. Some of those filings must now be made using on-line systems. As a citizen in the UK, I am also legally responsible for providing various information to government departments and renewing various statutory services and licences from time to time: filing a personal tax return, driving licence, TV licence, electoral registration, etc. Once again, much of this is now done on-line, though I don't think any of the above are on-line only yet. I'm not sure I'd go as far as putting Internet access on the level of "fundamental human right". As someone concerned about the recent erosion of far too many genuinely fundamental rights in far too many places, that seems like a loss of perspective. But you can't be asking people to file legal stuff on-line one minute, evangelising about high-speed nationwide broadband as an engine for getting the economy moving again the next minute, and then threatening to cut people off from the Internet based on... less than robust arguments made in some extra-judicial process, let's say. That just doesn't make any sense at all.

pbhjpbhj 15y ago
Thanks for putting this case so clearly. Agreed.
sycren 15y ago
You're right, it doesn't make any sense to call it a fundamental right on that basis, but would you not say that by filling out these forms or by using the Internet in other ways you are more efficient than if you could not use it at all? If this is true, would this not then put you at a significant commercial disadvantage without the internet against your competitors?