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By Lisa Burroughes, 25 February 1999 00:30

NEWS Labour MP, Derek Wyatt is calling on the UK government to create a minister for the Internet. At the ISPcon 99 conference in London, Wyatt, who also heads up the parliamentary all-party Internet group, spoke about the importance of ecommerce and the Internet in all types of business. But he told Silicon.com that most MPs still don't understand the implications regulation could have on the ISP industry. Wyatt said: "What we need is a minister for the Internet, or a minister for communications, which would include the Internet. I think there is so much work going on in so many departments with IT, but we don't have a coherent strategy, and that's because we haven't got a single minister." He added that he is particularly concerned about the effect that free ISPs (Internet service providers) will have on the small, independent fee-charging ones. "I would want to say that the market should regulate itself. But it is very hard when the big players like BT and Dixons offer free services that draw subscribers away from the small ISPs. I think an ISP licence fee like a broadcasting fee might be a way forward." Tim Pearson, chairman of the ISP Association (ISPA), said: "We support Derek's concern that the government should take more interest in the implications of the Internet in everyday life, but we also believe that all government departments need to know more, whether they deal directly with IT or not." Pearson said ISPA is holding regular seminars with government ministers to improve their understanding.