Internet service providers (ISPs) have reacted with anger to new proposals on how to tackle internet piracy¹.

因特网服务提供商对如何解决互联网隐私的提议很恼火。

The government is proposing a tougher stance which would include cutting off repeat offenders² from the net.

UK ISP Talk Talk said the recommendations（推荐，介绍） were likely to "breach³ fundamental rights" and would not work.

Virgin⁴ said that "persuasion⁵ not coercion（压迫，威压）" was key in the fight to crack down on the estimated six million file-sharers in the UK.

TalkTalk's director of regulation Andrew Heaney told the BBC News the ISP was as keen as anyone to clamp（夹住，固定） down on illegal file-sharers.

"This is best done by making sure there are legal alternatives and educating people, writing letters to alleged⁶ file-sharers and, if necessary, taking them to court."

But introducing measures to simply cut people off will not work, he said.

"Disconnecting alleged offenders will be futile⁷（无效的，无用的） given that it is relatively⁸ easy for determined⁹ file-sharers to mask their identity or their activity to avoid detection," he added.

There are also concerns that the method of identifying offenders using the IP address of a specific machine may punish those who share a web connection.

A spokeswoman for Virgin Media was concerned that a "heavy-handed, punitive¹⁰（刑罚的，惩罚的） regime will simply alienate¹¹（疏远，离间） consumers".

'Bizarre'

Politicians on all sides have been split by the proposal.

Speaking on Radio 4's PM programme, the former Cabinet Secretary, Tom Watson MP, said that Lord Mandleson had reached "the wrong conclusion".

Don Foster MP, the Liberal Democrat's culture and media spokesman, told BBC News that Lord Mandleson's move was "reckless（鲁莽的） and dangerous".

"There are many families whose children, unbeknown（未知的） to them, might be illegally downloading but now their own access could be put in jeopardy¹²（危险） by Lord Mandleson's proposals."

Mr Foster acknowledged that online piracy was "a major problem in the UK" but said overriding¹³ the opinion of Lord Carter and two Secretary of States was "bizarre（奇异的）".

The Conservative MP John Whittingdale, who is also chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said he was broadly supportive of Lord Mandleson's proposals, but said that he may have inadvertently（不注意地） "killed his own bill".

"Personally I am on his [Lord Mandleson] side; peer-to-peer sharing is the greatest threat to our creative industries," he said.

"I don't think people should have their broadband cut off, but there are measures to restrict speed which is better than prosecuting¹⁴ people so they get a criminal record.

"That said, I have severe doubts that the government can get this bill through in the time available as if there is any opposition¹⁵ to it - and there will be now - there will be a general election before it goes through."