Accosting Internet Freedom

Comcast is actively interfering with some of its high-speed subscribers who share files over the Internet. Seems the nation’s 2nd-largest cable company is delaying or blocking altogether, uploads of large files through peer-to-peer portals, such as BitTorrent. Comcast’s aggressive network management is designed to keep the file-sharing traffic from swallowing too much bandwidth, and slowing speeds from other subscribers. Seems fair, right?

Wrong!

It’s true ISPs have long complained that the majority of bandwidth is swallowed by a relatively small number of subscribers, specifically those who utilize file-sharing programs. According to Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas,

We have a responsibility to manage our network to ensure all our customers have the best broadband experience possible,” … “This means we use the latest technologies to manage our network to provide a quality experience for all Comcast subscribers.”

Comcast certainly has a right to manage its network, but it don’t have the right to interfere with the service subscribers pay for. First of all, Comcast doesn’t tell anyone it’s doing this. Basically, when one BitTorrent (or other file-sharing application) user tries to share a complete file with another user, Comcast’s technology interferes, though not consistently, and probably only during times of heavy traffic, by sending each computer a message that appears to come from the other computer, telling it to stop communicating. But neither computer generated this message; it came from Comcast. Secondly, Comcast currently doesn’t place bandwidth limitations on subscribers.

Most ISPs manage their networks with an approach called “traffic shaping.” Traffic shaping is basically the slowing down of some forms of traffic, like file sharing, while giving other forms priority. Comcast’s approach is a drastic form of traffic shaping, in that they only target one type of traffic, and not only do they slow down the traffic, sometimes they stop it altogether. Also, their discriminating method results in the falsifying of network traffic.

So, what does this mean?

I believe this deceptive practice is akin to a breach of contract on the part of Comcast between the ISP and its customers. Comcast has an ethical responsibility to subscribers to disclose any practice that affects their service. Furthermore, Comcast does not have a right to actively stop the legal upload of download of any information on their network…ever!

What else?

Stuff like this will give Congress the incentive to enact regulations, like “Net Neutrality,” that, as with most legislation of this nature, will end up taking more freedom than it gives.