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Comcast Blocking Certain Types of Internet Traffic
From our 'so much for Net Neutrality' department comes a story from the Associated Press, which assigned a reporter to see if there was any validity to recent accusations that Comcast, the cable TV and Internet provider, is throttling and/or blocking file-sharing on its networks.
The AP turned to the Bible, which is public domain and legal to share. The tests were run from two different PCs in the Philadelphia and San Francisco areas. The reporter found that two out of three times, the peer-to-peer BitTorrent transfer was blocked completely. The third time the transfer only started after a 10-minute delay.
Control tests were run on other providers, Cablevision and Time Warner Cable, and no blockage or throttling was documented in those tests.
You can read more about exactly how Comcast blocked traffic on AP's more extensive story here, but suffice it to say that future blockage could be applied to more legit sites and services such as Joost, Skype, and online-video-rental-service Vudu.
This is exactly the sort of heavy handed tactic proponents of Net Neutrality have feared, and the widespread reporting may help bring the issue of Net Neutrality into the limelight.
From BetaNews and the AP
For further reading on Net Neutrality, visit these sites:
- Follow up From AP
- Save the Internet - An organization pushing for legislation requiring Net Neutrality
- Google Guide to Net Neutrality
- News.com - Net Neutrality Showdown
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Comments
2
Subscribe to commentsRose RoganOct 22nd 2007 5:54PM
Comcast also has significant problems in general trsnsmission of signals for cable TV and internet. I live in a semi-urbam area. My property has a lot of trees so rather than being able to bring in satellite I was forced to get Comcast ( the only local area provider) as I wished for a broader choice than that provided by rabbit ears. Suffice it to say that not a single Tv program is clear all the way through. I get pixilation or blue screen blank outs several times during every program I have ever watched. I also must reset my computer modem box several times a day or week ( depending on its mood) as well. THeir service men have been here repeatedly and after 6 years I have just given up. They charge and charge and charge meanwhile dropping more channels every year. If I had other alternatives I would drop them in a second. What is surprising is that no one ( regulators) seem to care.
GregOct 23rd 2007 2:59AM
Hmm...I have Comcast, and personally, I think they're total garbage. Their service is crap. They also seem to limit uploads to other users in general, not just with BitTorrent. For example, I cannot host online games without them somehow cutting the connection after a certain period of time, almost like they auto-timeout hi-data uploads after five minutes. Whatever the cause or effect, the moment I move from my apartment to another, I'm going to get Verizon to install their FiOS there; at least they have yet to really show any heavy-handedness that "proponents like me" have been worried about.