Comcast Says It Won't Slow Internet Traffic

Comcast, which has 13.2 million high-speed Internet customers, had come under fire in recent months for blocking high-bandwidth traffic from file-sharing provider BitTorrent.

Last Novemeber, a coalition of public interest groups filed a complaint with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, saying Comcast was violating FCC policy by blocking peer-to-peer internet traffic. The complaint said Comcast violated FCC's Internet Policy Statement, created to give consumers access to applications, services and content of their choice over the Internet, so-called net neutrality. Comcast was intentionally degrading peer-to-peer traffic from BiTorrent's file-sharing networks, the complaint said.

But on Thursday, Comcast said it will adopt a capacity management technique it called "protocal agnostic."

"This means that we will have to rapidly reconfigure our network management systems, but the outcome will be a traffic management technique that is more appropriate for today's emerging Internet trends," said Tony Werner, Comcast Chief Technology Officer, in a statement. "We have been discussing this migration and its effects with leaders in the Internet community for the last several months, and we will refine, adjust, and publish the technique based upon feedback and initial trial results."

BitTorrent said it was pleased with the action. "While we think there were other management techniques that could have been deployed, we understand why Comcast and other ISPs adopted the approach that they did initially," said Eric Klinker, BitTorrent's Chief Technology Officer in a statement. "Recognizing that the Web is richer and more bandwidth intensive than it has been historically, we are pleased that Comcast understands these changing traffic patterns and wants to collaborate with us to migrate to techniques that the Internet community will find to be more transparent."

However, Kevin Martin, FCC chairman, Thursday said he still had concerns about Comcast's recent actions. In a March 7 FCC hearing he said he was disturbed Comcast did not disclose more to customers and application developers its method of managing network traffic.

"I am pleased that Comcast has reversed course and agreed that it is not a reasonable network management practice to arbitrarily block certain applications on its network," Martin said Thursday in a statement. "I also commend the company for admitting publicly that it was engaging in the practice and now engaging in a dialog with BitTorrent. I hope that the negotiations to which Comcast commits today will result in a solution that preserves consumers' ability to access any lawful Internet content and applications of their choice. That ability is fundamental to preserving the open marketplace and innovation that characterizes the Internet.

"I am concerned, though, that Comcast has not made clear when they will stop this discriminatory practice," he added. " It appears this practice will continue throughout the country until the end of the year and in some markets, even longer. While it may take time to implement its preferred new traffic management technique, it is not at all obvious why Comcast couldn't stop its current practice of arbitrarily blocking its broadband customers from using certain applications."

Martin said the cable giant should provide a specific date when it will stop the practice. He said the FCC at its April 17 hearing at Stanford University in in Palo Alto, Calif, will examine network management practices.

Open Internet advocates such as Press Press also said expressed reservations and said regulations need to be fashioned to keep Internet traffic unblocked.

"These talks are the direct result of public pressure -- and the threat of FCC action -- against Comcast," said Marvin Ammori, general counsel of Free Press, in a statement. "But with Comcast's history of broken promises and record of deception, we can't just take their word that the Internet is now in safe hands. This doesn't change the urgent need for the FCC to take action.

"The issue of Net Neutrality is bigger than Comcast and BitTorrent," Ammori added. "This agreement does nothing to protect the many other peer-to-peer companies from blocking, nor does it protect future innovative applications and services. Finally, it does nothing to prevent other phone and cable companies from blocking. Innovators should not have to negotiate side deals with phone and cable companies to operate without discrimination. The Internet has always been a level playing field, and we need to keep it that way."