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| | | | FCC seeks to punish Comcast in Internet probe-AP
Fri Jul 11, 2008 9:32am BST
July 11 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Thursday he will recommend that Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) be punished for violating agency principles that guarantee customers open access to the Internet, The Associated Press reported.
Comcast, the second largest U.S. Internet service provider, has been accused of blocking some Web traffic via services such as file-sharing applications like the popular BitTorrent used by consumers to share large media files.
Comcast has "arbitrarily" blocked Internet access, regardless of the level of traffic, and failed to disclose to consumers that it was doing so, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told the news service.
Comcast has denied it blocks individual traffic and said the use of network management is essential to avoid congestion and impairment of online video applications like Veoh or voice-over-Internet Protocol services like Vonage.
Martin will circulate an order recommending enforcement action against the company on Friday among his fellow commissioners, who will vote on the measure at an open meeting on Aug. 1, the news agency said.
The order follows an FCC investigation prompted by complaints about Comcast by Internet advocacy group Free Press and digital media company Vuze Inc.
Martin's order would require Comcast to stop its practice of blocking; provide details to the commission on the extent and manner in which the practice was been used; and to disclose to consumers details on future plans for managing its network going forward.
At the heart of Comcast's network management issue is the long-running "network neutrality" debate. Net neutrality is the principle of allowing all content that flows over an ISP's network to be treated equally, without any preference.
Comcast officials could not immediately reached for comment. (Reporting by Pratish Narayanan in Bangalore; Editing by David Cowell)
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| | | | FCC chief hopes Comcast sanction serves as warning
By JOHN DUNBAR
Associated Press Writer
7:57 PM CDT, July 11, 2008
WASHINGTON
A recommendation to punish Comcast Corp. for blocking subscribers' Internet traffic should serve as a warning to other service providers, the nation's top telecommunications regulator said Friday.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin said he hopes his action will make network operators sensitive about putting "arbitrary limits on the way consumers can access information on the Internet."
The Associated Press reported Thursday night that Martin will recommend to his fellow commissioners that Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, be punished for violating agency principles that guarantee customers open access to the Internet.
Martin provided more details of his proposed disciplinary action in a meeting with reporters Friday.
Comcast was accused by consumer groups of blocking "peer-to-peer" Internet traffic, where users share large data files using special software. The complaint followed an AP investigation in October.
Comcast denies it blocks content, but says it uses "carefully limited measures" to manage traffic on its broadband network to ensure all customers receive quality service.
Martin wants Comcast to stop using its current practice, to tell commissioners where it has used it in the past, and to disclose to the agency and consumers what limitations will be placed on customers under its new traffic management plan, which it hopes to have in place by the end of the year.
Martin said he is not recommending a fine against Comcast because he wants to use the case as a means of laying out agency policy.
"It doesn't make the enforcement action less important," he said. "Oftentimes (what is) most important is to try to clarify what is allowed and what isn't."
Martin said he would circulate an order recommending the enforcement action among his fellow commissioners on Friday. The measure is scheduled for a vote at the agency's next open meeting, scheduled for Aug. 1.
Martin's action was in response to a complaint filed by Free Press and Public Knowledge, nonprofit groups that advocate for "network neutrality," the idea that all Internet content should be treated equally.
The FCC approved a policy statement in September 2005 that outlined a set of principles meant to ensure that broadband networks are "widely deployed, open, affordable and accessible to all consumers." The principles, however, are "subject to reasonable network management."
Comcast argues that the agency's policy statement is not enforceable and that the commission has "never before provided any guidance on what it means by 'reasonable network management.'"
On Friday, Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice said the company has not seen Martin's order and would not speculate on whether the company will challenge it if it is approved by a majority of the commissioners.
She did say, however, that Comcast has "consistently said that we don't feel the policy statement is enforceable as rules."
Comcast is moving toward a "protocol agnostic" form of network management, meaning it will focus on all traffic rather than just peer-to-peer. The new method is being rolled out in some test markets.
Martin's action will help the industry in terms of where the line is drawn on managing Internet traffic, said Craig Moffett, a cable and telecommunications analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. But he cautioned the FCC's action could lead to some unintended consequences.
"The fact that they will have to be protocol agnostic forecloses certain options," he said. "For better or for worse, the principle option that it leaves open is the simplest one of all, and that is simply charging more for more usage."
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| | | | "Of course Barry says there is no such thing as Network Neutrality.: rolleyes:
Guess again Barry, the FCC thinks otherwise. "
how did I get in this.......?
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but I find it interesting that you would be against taking away bandwidth from someone who has a lot and giving it to someone else that doesnt have as much, its internet marxism 101...
just like taking money away from one person and giving it to someone that doesnt have as much is economic marxism 101
or healthcare, or whatever other silly socialist plan you want to install...
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| | | | You so don't understand, again.
A technologist you are not.
~ I dig it when you have a smile on your face ~ |
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| | | | no I understand perfectly
some people had more of something than others....in this case bandwidth, or the access to it
the people who didnt have as much were complaining about the others hogging it all....
just like you libs complain about people hogging their money.....
so comcast took a page out of the marxist playbook and took away from the haves, and made it available to the have nots...
just like you do with other peoples money...you take it away from them and give it to someone that doesnt have as much....
what is amazing here is that you are against comcast doing what you believe in so strongly...
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| | | | You misunderstand bandwidth allocation and how it is measured.
You use an analogy that doesn't apply.
Tomorrow my class and I will be meeting with Optimum Cablevision, part of the reason for this field trip is to understand better network neutrality and bandwidth availability directly from a major supplier. We will be meeting with the head of their network management group. I will get many of my technical understandings substantiated by them. Comcast and the FCC are part of our agenda. Do stay tuned Barry.
You can lay off the marxism, socialism crap, it exposes what you don't know and what you attempt to hide acting in such a fashion.
~ I dig it when you have a smile on your face ~ |
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| | | | why lay off of the truth
if its ok for you to take peoples hard earned money away from them and hand it over to someone that didnt lift a finger to earn it
then its ok for comcast to take bandwidth away from one person, and reserve it for or hand it over to another person....
the principle is the same, from everyone according to his means, to everyone according to his need....
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| | | | That is illogical, it does not compute. You can't handle the truth because you really don't understand network bandwidth and traffic management.
You flat out don't comprehend what Comcast has done here, how exposed they are in the industry and why the F.C.C. will be sanctioning them.
Comcast's competitor Cablevision operates the nation's single largest cable cluster, passing more than 4.5 million households and 600,000 businesses in the New York metropolitan area with our state-of-the-art fiber-rich network. This world-class system connects residential and business customers in the country’s top market to Cablevision’s Optimum®-branded communications services: iO Interactive Optimum® digital television, Optimum Online® high-speed Internet and Optimum Voice® digital voice.
I can't wait to see their state of the art call center and network management facility tomorrow.
Cradz, got any questions that you want me to ask Optimum Cablevision for you? 
~ I dig it when you have a smile on your face ~ |
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| | | | I understand marxism....
and taking away from one to give to another is what this is all about...
I wonder, does comcast provide any of its bandwidth to places for free....?
imagine the frustration of paying for something then having it limited so others can have something for free...
but wait...thats not frustrating to you....thats what you believe in....and think is wonderful...
like if Cradz said he was gonna reduce the services for paying members so non-paying members could have more services....
you say comcast is doing the wrong thing here...I agree, they are....but what doesnt add up, is why you say its wrong...they are only doing what you demand be done in every other aspect of a persons life....
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| | | | Barry,
We found that Comcast's actions in this instance violated our principles
Kevin Martin Federal Communications Commission
but what doesnt add up, is why you say its wrong
The issue that Comcast has breeched is network neutrality. Since you don't fully understand network neutrality let me break it down for you.
Network neutrality (equivalently net neutrality, Internet neutrality or simply NN) is a principle that is applied to residential broadband networks, and potentially to all networks. A neutral broadband network is one that is free of restrictions on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, on the modes of communication allowed, which does not restrict content, sites or platforms, and where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams.
Comcast raised the eyebrow of its subscribers by filtering content for peer-to-peer users and bit-torrent users. This is a "discriminatory" business practice. Yes its their network. But sophisticated users who were monitoring the send/receive aspects of their transmissions, detected that their transmissions were being dropped, blocked and filtered, Comcast was caught red-handed being non-network neutral (the above description bears that out). These users raised the issue in regional meetings with the FCC and it eventually reached FCC Washington where last week it was deemed that the FCC will vote on what sanctions Comcast will face.
This isn't about Marxism, Barry. This is about your and my personal digital freedom. I am eager to hear what Optimum Cablevision has to say about this important subscriber issue today as a leading provider of the same services that Comcast provides.
I quote Sy Simms, Simms Clothing, "An educated consumer is our best customer."
I am a long time customer of Optimum Cablevision.
Nuff said,
ML
~ I dig it when you have a smile on your face ~ |
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