UK Digital Economy Bill

The UK government has published its Digital Economy Bill, intended to lead to a new Digital Economy Act. Although this is not the first time that the UK has produced legislation on the Digital Economy, the timing of the latest bill – announced by the Queen in May 2016 but published post-Brexit vote – leads to questions about whether the UK will need more than a piecemeal Act of Parliament if it is to maintain whatever position it currently enjoys in the global digital economy.

Much has changed since the UK's last direct legislation on the digital economy, back in 2010. Technologies that seemed advanced then – such as cloud computing – now comprise mature markets, and have been replaced by Big Data, robotic process automation, the Internet of Things and blockchain/distributed ledger technology as industry favourites. Also, the EU has both announced and pushed forward its Digital Single Market initiative. And, of course, the UK has voted in favour of Brexit.