Comcast (News - Alert) has denied a report that it is blocking content with its bandwidth management technology, but admitted "delaying" some subscriber Internet traffic.

The company, responding to an investigation conducted by The Associated Press, said any roadblocks it put up are temporary and intended to improve surfing for other users.

That statement hasn’t made supporters of net neutrality surf any easier.

While the AP claims that Comcast blocks file-sharing to curb bandwidth use for file transfers on peer-to-peer networks such as BitTorrent, perhaps as damaging is the alolegation that Comcast sends messages to people sending and receiving files telling them to stop communicating with each other. And those the messages, or reset packets, appear to come from the users' computers.

The cable company on Monday sent out e-mails to media outlets pointing out that it manages traffic on its networks, which may be delayed by its bandwidth management technology, but it does not to block any applications.

"Comcast does not block access to any Web sites or online applications, including peer-to-peer services like BitTorrent," the company said in a statement.

On Tuesday, several net neutrality groups who want legislation and accountability for telecommunications companies, chimed in on the debate.

Ben Scott, director of Free Press, a group that advocates network neutrality,  warned of the danger of such prohibition in a statement released on the organizations Web site.

“Comcast’s BitTorrent blocking is the canary in the coal mine for Net Neutrality — a clear example of an Internet service provider stifling innovation and free speech online. Cable and phone companies like Comcast, AT&T (News - Alert) and Verizon should not be allowed to play gatekeeper over legal Internet content.

At issue, says Scott, is the BitTorrent file-sharing model remains on the cutting edge of innovation for online video distribution and the future of the media system.

” If you want content that isn’t available on Comcast’s cable system, the Internet is the place to go and this is the technology that is going to bring it to you. It’s no surprise that Comcast, whose primary business is video, is working to smother a growing competitor,” he said.

Tim Gray is a Web Editor for TMCnet, covering news in the IP communications, call center and customer relationship management industries. To see more of his articles, please visit Tim Gray’s columnist page.