Last week the government told Internet Service Provider’s that they will have to adopt a “three strikes” policy as a deterrent against those who download illegally; set to be introduced within the next 12 months or so in an effort to tackle the growing problem.

ISPs are in a unique position of being able to monitor the online habits of their subscribers. That position does, however, raise important questions about the principles involved, such as: are ISPs the ones who should be told to police their customers downloading behaviour, and, are they the ones who should ultimately be held accountable if they don’t?

Although there seems to be a broad consensus on combating piracy, who surveys it is another matter. In the end it might be the case that if ISP’s don’t keep their customers in check, who else can – or will? Although there’s an ongoing debate that perhaps self, rather than enforced legislative regulation, is a preferred option.

This comes at a time when the government is taking a wider interest in the issue of broadband in this country; in particular, reviewing the possible costs involved in helping networks update inadequate cabling.