Comcast wants 'bill of rights' for file-sharers and ISPs

[Hairbautt]

NEW YORK - "Comcast Corp., under federal investigation for interfering with the traffic of its Internet subscribers, said Tuesday it wants to develop a "Bill of Rights and Responsibilities" for file sharing.

The announcement expands on Comcast's new policy toward file-sharing: It said last month that rather than singling out such traffic and blocking some of it, the company will move toward a system that treats all types the same.

File sharing is mainly used to illegally swap copyright works like movies, but it's also emerging as a cheap way to distribute legal video. One of the companies in this business, Pando Networks Inc., is joining Comcast and supporting the "Bill of Rights."

The document would codify "best practices" for Internet providers to deal with file-sharing traffic, which can place substantial loads on the networks of cable companies. It would also clarify what controls consumers should have over peer-to-peer (or P2P) file-sharing applications on their computers. Some of these applications are often designed to run in the background, and give the user little insight into what they're doing or how much resources they're using.

"By having this framework in place, we will help P2P companies, ISPs and content owners find common ground to support consumers who want to use P2P applications to deliver legal content," said Tony Werner, Comcast's chief technology officer.

Comcast has already said that it is working with another maker of file-sharing software, BitTorrent Inc., to figure out how ISPs and P2P companies can coexist peacefully."

Source: Full Article @ Yahoo! News
C|NET NewsBlogs: Comcast calls for 'P2P Bill of Rights'

[weenden]

thier my isp and they give me the creeps

[Hairbautt]

thier my isp and they give me the creeps

[colbert]

Comcast would have fewer problems if they would simply upgrade their network instead of the massive overselling they currently do.

[Aaxel21]

Comcast would have fewer problems if they would simply upgrade their network instead of the massive overselling they currently do.

I agree. But they are not in the business of spending money, just making it. I doubt that Comcast users will ever see a major overhaul of an aging network. I don't see why they are investing all this money to develop piracy fighting software when they can throw that money into their network. They are going to have to upgrade sooner or later. Thats if they plan to have a customer in 5 years.

[witchhunt]

wow this is good news! comcast is one of the only providers in my area

[Wi0]

Comcast would have fewer problems if they would simply upgrade their network instead of the massive overselling they currently do.

Their network is fine. Everything is ready to go faster they just need to flip the switch. They soon plan on slowly rolling out faster packages for people who want to pay for speed.

[Bob Villa]

This "bill of rights" is a ploy to circumvent whatever net neutrality remains by partnering with two so called p2p software companies and rolling out a "compromise". Soon your rights will be reduced considerably and Comcast will charge for bandwidth according to the type of traffic you generate. Whatever they deem as "illegitimate" file sharing will be restricted. Get ready...

[joeyp]

Comcast would have fewer problems if they would simply upgrade their network instead of the massive overselling they currently do.

Their network is fine. Everything is ready to go faster they just need to flip the switch. They soon plan on slowly rolling out faster packages for people who want to pay for speed.

what are you a comcast employee? their network is not fine... in better than half their markets they cant offer voip services because they cant meet federal standards regarding uptime to offer it...... comcast is constantly messaging (read: MANAGING TRAFFIC) by denying certain customers to provide for others. if not for their political lapdogs like Senator Arlen Spector, and other corrupt officials who are covering for Comcast's inability to provide contractually expected standards of service, they would have upgraded to fiber optics long ago....

Comcast is rated as one of the 5 least reliable broadband providers nationwide for a reason..... insufficient capacity and an outdated delivery system.

in fact, in better than 40% of their markets nationwide their service grades out as worse than their DSL competitors.... thats why they oversell and need political protection. if you live in a comcast area, i would heartily advise exploring all alternatives before selectng a provider.