Comcast Says It Will Stop Secretly Throttling Certain Web Traffic
Mar 31st, 2008 • Posted in: NewsAt center of controversy is emerging ethics issue of Net neutrality
SAN FRANCISCO
Comcast Corp., the nation’s largest residential Internet service provider, last week reversed its denials and admitted that it has been blocking some Internet traffic, promising to revamp its approach to managing Web traffic after a series of press reports and public inquiries challenged the ethics of its behavior.
Comcast was under pressure from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and public interest groups after it was disclosed that it was blocking some Internet traffic of customers who used certain file-sharing software programs, the New York Times reported. The Company previously had denied blocking the traffic.
The issue came to light after an Associated Press investigation, which found that Comcast was surreptitiously blocking Internet usage via some popular file-sharing programs, a revelation that BusinessWeek characterizes as a “major public relations debacle.”
The report led not only to outrage among customers, BusinessWeek notes, but also prompted an FCC threat to consider regulations on network management techniques.
A report from the San Francisco Chronicle says that Comcast has agreed to end its practice of blocking traffic from customers using certain programs on peer-to-per networks and will work with software manufacturers to find ways to move files efficiently.
The agreement announced by Comcast still involves the potential slowing of Internet connections of heavy bandwidth users during peak hours, though the slowing will not be based on the particular programs used, reports the London-based Independent, leading some critics to say that regulation is still necessary in order to protect Net neutrality.
The ethics issue at hand is the quarrel between those who favor Net neutrality versus proponents of “bandwidth shaping.”
Net neutrality advocates maintain that all traffic should be treated equally and warn that if telecommunication and cable companies are able to move certain messages at different speeds, it will lead to a system where fast and reliable service is only available to those who pay a premium for it.
Backers of bandwidth shaping, which involves moving different types of traffic at varying rates and through varying channels, claim that bandwidth hogs, especially those who share audio and video files online, choke traffic for the majority of users.
Privacy advocates argue that it is unethical for Internet service providers to sidetrack selected transmissions because they have no right to digitally inspect the content in order to determine whether it should be put on the fast or slow track.
Sources: Guardian, Mar. 29 — New York Times, Mar. 28 — BusinessWeek, Mar. 28 –San Francisco Chronicle, Mar. 27.
For more information, see: Related Newsline story, Mar. 24 — Related Newsline story, Mar. 3 — Related Newsline story, Feb. 25 — Related Newsline story, Oct. 22, 2007 — Related Newsline story, June 26, 2006.
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