A government minister has insisted there must be "effective action" to tackle illegal file-sharing.
At a Westminster conference on Parliament and the internet, business minister Stephen Timms defended controversial plans to tackle the issue.
He spoke of the internet's darker side, which has damaged the music industry over the last decade and threatens to do the same to television.
The minister denounced illegal file-sharing as "stealing" and discussed the detrimental effect broadband has had on the music industry.
"All of us must accept that people should not obtain without payment, when others pay," he insisted.
"We need effective action against these people who think that they can take something for nothing."
Timms also advocated the idea of a license fee for broadband users, which he likened to the cost of a postage stamp.
"We pay a certain amount for a postage stamp to ensure a certain standard of postal service. The same mentality applies to broadband," he said.
Timms told the conference that broadband will be more important than ever as the UK's economy begins to recover.
"We have achieved a great deal since Digital Britain was launched," he said. "Things have been moving very, very fast."
The minister added that he is "pleased" with the progress of companies such as BT, which is to deliver faster broadband to 1.5 million more properties, and Virgin Media, which has started to deliver next generation services.
Timms pledged that by 2012, some 90 per cent of homes will have broadband.
