NewsDude
08-01-2008, 06:50 PM
A divided Federal Communications Commission has ruled that Comcast Corp. violated U.S. government policy when it blocked Internet traffic for some subscribers and has ordered the cable giant to change the way it manages its network.
In a precedent-setting move, the FCC by a 3-2 vote on Friday enforced a policy that guarantees customers open access to the Internet.
The commission did not assess a fine, but ordered the company to stop cutting off transfers of large data files among customers who use a special type of "file-sharing" software.
Comcast says its practices are reasonable and that the FCC's so-called network-neutrality "principles" are part of a policy statement and are not enforceable rules.
Republican FCC Chairman Kevin Martin proposed the enforcement action and was joined by Democratic commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps in voting for approval. He was opposed by members of his own party, commissioners Robert McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate, who both issued lengthy dissents.
The commission's authority to act stems from a policy statement adopted 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 are "subject to reasonable network management," a concept the agency has not explicitly defined.
While the FCC action did not include a fine, it does require Comcast to stop its blocking practice by the end of the year. The company must also provide details to the commission on the management techniques it has used and to let consumers know details of its future plans.
Martin was particularly critical of the company's failure to disclose to its customers exactly how it was managing its traffic, saying this action "compounded the harm."
Martin said Comcast managers were not "simply managing their network, they had arbitrarily picked an application and blocked their subscribers' access to it."
Comcast...
More... (http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61100)
In a precedent-setting move, the FCC by a 3-2 vote on Friday enforced a policy that guarantees customers open access to the Internet.
The commission did not assess a fine, but ordered the company to stop cutting off transfers of large data files among customers who use a special type of "file-sharing" software.
Comcast says its practices are reasonable and that the FCC's so-called network-neutrality "principles" are part of a policy statement and are not enforceable rules.
Republican FCC Chairman Kevin Martin proposed the enforcement action and was joined by Democratic commissioners Jonathan Adelstein and Michael Copps in voting for approval. He was opposed by members of his own party, commissioners Robert McDowell and Deborah Taylor Tate, who both issued lengthy dissents.
The commission's authority to act stems from a policy statement adopted 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 are "subject to reasonable network management," a concept the agency has not explicitly defined.
While the FCC action did not include a fine, it does require Comcast to stop its blocking practice by the end of the year. The company must also provide details to the commission on the management techniques it has used and to let consumers know details of its future plans.
Martin was particularly critical of the company's failure to disclose to its customers exactly how it was managing its traffic, saying this action "compounded the harm."
Martin said Comcast managers were not "simply managing their network, they had arbitrarily picked an application and blocked their subscribers' access to it."
Comcast...
More... (http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61100)