First day of real voting: a test for the Lords

Today the real voting on amendments to the Digital Economy Bill gets underway. We have won some significant concessions, including some changes to Clause 11 that tries to limit the power to block web content to the Ofcom assessment of copyright infringement, rather than creating a blanket power to censor. Some clarity on defences look likely. And the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats look likely to vote down the notorious Clause 17, which would allow copyright law to be rewritten by rubber-stamped Statutory Instruments.

But what we have not heard yet is anything that would deal with the dual insanity of an effective ban on open wifi networks, and the threat of disconnection for copyright infringement. Please make sure you challenge MPs on this and make this a public debate – by writing to your local papers.

If you wish to follow the first day of debate, you can watch the debate live and read people’s reactions live on twitter.