Comcast told to stop blocking Web tool
TMCnet
TMC Launches New Sites :: Cable 4G Wireless Evolution  |  Satellite  |  Green Tech  | IT | IVR |  ITEXPO East begins in:   REGISTER NOW!
  INDUSTRIES
  PUBLICATIONS
  FREE RESOURCES
  INTERNATIONAL
  EVENTS
  ABOUT TMC
  COMMUNITIES
E-mail this page to a friend Order reprints online Print this page Bookmark this page Free magazines Free newsletters RSS-XML alerts
TMCnews
[August 03, 2008]

Comcast told to stop blocking Web tool

(UPI Business News Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Broadband Internet customers of cable television giant Comcast should be free to use file-sharing software, the Federal Communications Commission says.

The commission voted Friday to order Comcast to stop blocking its Internet customers from using BitTorrent, an online software application that enables users to share large movie, TV show and music files, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Commission Chairman Kevin Martin split with his Republican colleagues to join the two Democratic members to produce a 3-2 vote against Comcast. The precedent-setting decision was hailed by supporters of so-called net neutrality, which maintains Internet service providers should be barred from discriminating among various types of traffic.



It was unreasonable for Comcast to discriminate against particular Internet applications, including BitTorrent, Martin wrote in his majority opinion. They delayed and blocked customers using a disfavored application even when there was no network congestion.

Other commissioners, however, said Internet engineers need to regulate traffic flow and say the ruling will nudge providers toward instituting volume-based pricing.



Copyright ? 2008 United Press International

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]


Discussions:
Be the first to post a comment on this page!
 
By  
TMCnet
Featured White Papers
Top Stories
Related VoIP News

Today @ TMC
Upcoming Events
19th INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO East
February 2-4, 2009 — Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, FL
Digium Asterisk World Conference
February 2-4, 2009 — Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, FL
4G Wireless Evolution Conference
February 2-4, 2009 — Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, FL
6th Annual Communications Developer Conference
February 2-4, 2009 — Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami, FL
20th INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO West
October 27-29, 2009 — Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA
Subscribe FREE to all of TMC's monthly magazines. Click here now.