Comcast admits fooling with P2P traffic
p2pnet news | Music:- Cable giant Comcast admits it’s been messing with P2P file sharing traffic.
But it’s okay, it says. It hasn’t been blocking P2P file sharing traffic. It’s just been delaying it a teensy bit.
Public relations staff, “seemed genuinely baffled by accusations that it was interfering with file-sharing applications like BitTorrent and Gnutella,” says the New York Times, going on:
“They stubbornly insisted that they did not monitor or block any Internet traffic – despite strong evidence to the contrary.”
But a Comcast Net executive admitted it uses, “data management technologies to conserve bandwidth and allow customers to experience the Internet without delays,” says the story going on:
As part of that management process, he said, the company occasionally – but not always – delays some peer-to-peer file transfers that eat into Internet speeds for other users on the network.
The executive declined to talk in detail about the technology, citing spammers or other miscreants who might exploit that knowledge. But he insisted the company was not stopping file transfers from happening, only postponing them in certain cases. He compared it to making a phone call and getting a busy signal, then trying again and getting through. In cases where peer to peer file transfers are interrupted, the software automatically tries again, so the user may not even know Comcast is interfering.
Meanwhile, “The revelations about Comcast are the latest sign that stronger rules are needed to bar improper meddling by broadband providers, at least until consumers have more alternatives,” says a Los Angeles Times OpEd, adding:
“Network operators shouldn’t be able to dictate how companies distribute their wares online. Comcast’s cable-TV arm, after all, competes with companies that use BitTorrent for online TV services, and consumers should be able to judge them without Comcast’s influence. Nor should network operators surreptitiously impede data, leaving customers unaware of the extent or source of the interference.
“If customers are using a disproportionate amount of bandwidth, let them pay for extra for it.”
Also See:
messing with P2P – Unlocking the Comcast handcuffs, October 22, 2007
New York Times – Comcast: We’re Delaying, Not Blocking, BitTorrent Traffic, October 24, 2007
Los Angeles Times – Comcast’s less-than-free flow, October 23, 2007
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October 24th, 2007 at 11:56 am
The problem is that they are not just messing up with P2P traffic. They are messing up with all the traffic. 20 percent packet lost or delayed all accross the trafic.
The effect are: videostream stoping sudenly in the middle of the play, web page sometime frezzing during download or page download that never finish and that sometine frezze IE.
So you got more speed than DSL but if the stream does not have a consistant speed the extra speed does not do anything good because it make video streaming crappy. Also forget about VOIP!
If you use internet for mostly text with few pictures read the news and Email you don’t need high speed. Go with a dialup on a second phone line if you have too
If you use video and audio stream you don’t need Comcast because the stream keep breaking.
Go with DSL then. The speed is always fast enoungh for video and audio stream and the speed is consistant so the stream does not break all the time like with Comcast.
Comcast they are fast they are fast but crappy. The quality factor is only %80 or less.
Don’t go with comcast.
October 24th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
The DSL companies will do this someday.
October 24th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
comcast is available about 5 minutes from where i like, but i have charter communications.
my connection with them is 10down/1up. i used to read stuff about other ISP’s and be glad i had charter.
(of course, the Jammie Thomas was railroaded, and she had charter.
)
anyway, its a scary thought that all the telecom/cable companies are so against net neutrality, with all their lobbyists and money. lets hope they put a stop to this.
October 24th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
correction: “comcast is available about 5 minutes from where i LIVE”
October 24th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
I HAVE BELIEVED FOR SOMETIME, THAT MY INTERNET SPEED WAS LIMITED BY THE CABLE COMPANY WHICH WAS CONFIRMED,AFTER DOING VARIOUS SPEED CHECKS. MY PROVIDER AT THE TIME WAS TIME WARNER CABLE. AFTER CALLING THEM OUT ON IT I FOUND OUT THEY WERE GIVING ME THE LOWEST TIER OF SERVICE DUE TO DOWNLOADING “OVERLOADING THEIR SYSTEM” B.S. I HAVE SINCE SWITCHED TO PRO DSL AND THINGS WERE FINE UNTIL I DECIDED TO GET RID OF MY LOCAL PHONE SERVICE FOR VOIP. THE PHONE COMPANY TURNED OFF EVERYTHING BEFORE THE SCHEDULED DATE. A WEEK BEFORE. PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU HAVE EXPEROENCED THIS OR ANY OTHER TROUBLE WITH ATT. AT COBBHOUSE67@AOL.COM
I ALSO WANT TO HEAR OF ANY CABLE PROVIDER COMPLAINTS. I CAN HELP YOU RESOLVE THAT S–T I’VE DELT WITH IT, LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES. P2P IS A GOOD THING THAT PROMOTES INOVATION.
October 25th, 2007 at 1:07 am
“not blocking, just delaying” LMAO
Don’t you just love it when companies lie through their teeth, and are then forced to admit it.