Topic: Virgin Media

An "independent" parliamentary inquiry into online child protection in the UK, led by Claire Perry, was revealed to be sponsored by Premier Christian Media and other religious lobbying groups. The hosts argue the inquiry is rigged to promote an anti-pornography agenda, which has already influenced Virgin Media to begin blocking BitTorrent traffic.

UK courts have ordered ISPs, including Virgin Media, to block access to The Pirate Bay. During a BBC "Today" program interview, the host and a Member of Parliament argued that the internet should be regulated like other media, specifically targeting the availability of pornography to children as a justification for broader ISP censorship.

The utility of the Slingbox for accessing local news from different geographic markets like Detroit, Hawaii, and London is discussed. The hosts express a desire to expand their "Slingbox community" to include locations like Hong Kong, Russia, and Iran to bypass national media narratives. Virgin Media's service in the UK is criticized for poor installation times.

Adam Curry details his new high-speed internet setup in the UK, featuring a 20 megabit fiber optic connection from Virgin Media and IPTV services from BT. He expresses skepticism regarding "unlimited" data claims made by providers and mentions recording his sales calls to hold the companies accountable if they later throttle his service.

UK internet service providers including Virgin Media, TalkTalk, and BT have signed up for Phorm, a service that injects targeted advertising into web pages via proxy servers. Privacy advocates criticize the system for tracking user behavior through cookies and intercepting data traffic. Additionally, reports surface of ISPs cutting off users' internet access based on IP tracking of BitTorrent activity.