Re: NBC: Comcast Blocking Internet Traffic

On Oct 19, 1:58 pm, gumboman <dontemai...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
This may be interesting to those of you using Comcast and also torrent
technology:

JH

Comcast blocks some Internet traffic
Tests confirm data discrimination by number 2 U.S. service provider
By Peter Svensson
The Associated Press
Updated: 8:36 a.m. CT Oct 19, 2007
NEW YORK - Comcast Corp. actively interferes with attempts by some of
its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a move that
runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic
equally.

The interference, which The Associated Press confirmed through
nationwide tests, is the most drastic example yet of data
discrimination by a U.S. Internet service provider. It involves
company computers masquerading as those of its users.

If widely applied by other ISPs, the technology Comcast is using would
be a crippling blow to the BitTorrent, eDonkey and Gnutella
file-sharing networks. While these are mainly known as sources of
copyright music, software and movies, BitTorrent in particular is
emerging as a legitimate tool for quickly disseminating legal content.

The principle of equal treatment of traffic, called "Net Neutrality"
by proponents, is not enshrined in law but supported by some
regulations. Most of the debate around the issue has centered on
tentative plans, now postponed, by large Internet carriers to offer
preferential treatment of traffic from certain content providers for a
fee.

Comcast's interference, on the other hand, appears to be an aggressive
way of managing its network to keep file-sharing traffic from
swallowing too much bandwidth and affecting the Internet speeds of
other subscribers.

Number two provider
Comcast, the nation's largest cable TV operator and No. 2 Internet
provider, would not specifically address the practice, but spokesman
Charlie Douglas confirmed that it uses sophisticated methods to keep
Net connections running smoothly.

"Comcast does not block access to any applications, including
BitTorrent," he said.

Douglas would not specify what the company means by "access" - Comcast
subscribers can download BitTorrent files without hindrance. Only
uploads of complete files are blocked or delayed by the company, as
indicated by AP tests.

But with "peer-to-peer" technology, users exchange files with each
other, and one person's upload is another's download. That means
Comcast's blocking of certain uploads has repercussions in the global
network of file sharers.

Comcast's technology kicks in, though not consistently, when one
BitTorrent user attempts to share a complete file with another user.

Each PC gets a message invisible to the user that looks like it comes
from the other computer, telling it to stop communicating. But neither
message originated from the other computer - it comes from Comcast. If
it were a telephone conversation, it would be like the operator
breaking into the conversation, telling each talker in the voice of
the other: "Sorry, I have to hang up. Good bye."

Matthew Elvey, a Comcast subscriber in the San Francisco area who has
noticed BitTorrent uploads being stifled, acknowledged that the
company has the right to manage its network, but disapproves of the
method, saying it appears to be deceptive.

"There's the wrong way of going about that and the right way," said
Elvey, who is a computer consultant.

All types of content
Comcast's interference affects all types of content, meaning that, for
instance, an independent movie producer who wanted to distribute his
work using BitTorrent and his Comcast connection could find that
difficult or impossible - as would someone pirating music.

Internet service providers have long complained about the vast amounts
of traffic generated by a small number of subscribers who are avid
users of file-sharing programs. Peer-to-peer applications account for
between 50 percent and 90 percent of overall Internet traffic,
according to a survey this year by ipoque GmbH, a German vendor of
traffic-management equipment.

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

The practice of managing the flow of Internet data is known as
"traffic shaping," and is already widespread among Internet service
providers. It usually involves slowing down some forms of traffic,
like file-sharing, while giving others priority. Other ISPs have
attempted to block some file-sharing application by so-called "port
filtering," but that method is easily circumvented and now largely
ineffective.

Comcast's approach to traffic shaping is different because of the
drastic effect it has on one type of traffic - in some cases blocking
it rather than slowing it down - and the method used, which is
difficult to circumvent and involves the company falsifying network
traffic.

The "Net Neutrality" debate erupted in 2005, when AT&T Inc. suggested
it would like to charge some Web companies more for preferential
treatment of their traffic. Consumer advocates and Web heavyweights
like Google Inc. and Amazon Inc. cried foul, saying it's a bedrock
principle of the Internet that all traffic be treated equally.

To get its acquisition of BellSouth Corp. approved by the Federal
Communications Commission, AT&T agreed in late 2006 not to implement
such plans or prioritize traffic based on its origin for two and a
half years. However, it did not make any commitments not to prioritize
traffic based on its type, which is what Comcast is doing.

The FCC's stance on traffic shaping is not clear. A 2005 policy
statement says that "consumers are entitled to run applications and
services of their choice," but that principle is "subject to
reasonable network management." Spokeswoman Mary Diamond would not
elaborate.

Opposition
Free Press, a Washington-based public interest group that advocates
Net Neutrality, opposes the kind of filtering applied by Comcast.

"We don't believe that any Internet provider should be able to
discriminate, block or impair their consumers ability to send or
receive legal content over the Internet," said Free Press spokeswoman
Jen Howard.

Paul "Tony" Watson, a network security engineer at Google Inc. who has
previously studied ways hackers could disrupt Internet traffic in
manner similar to the method Comcast is using, said the cable company
was probably acting within its legal rights.

"It's their network and they can do what they want," said Watson. "My
concern is the precedent. In the past, when people got an ISP
connection, they were getting a connection to the Internet. The only
determination was price and bandwidth. Now they're going to have to
make much more complicated decisions such as price, bandwidth, and
what services I can get over the Internet."

Several companies have sprung up that rely on peer-to-peer technology,
including BitTorrent Inc., founded by the creator of the BitTorrent
software (which exists in several versions freely distributed by
different groups and companies).

Ashwin Navin, the company's president and co-founder, confirmed that
it has noticed interference from Comcast, in addition to some Canadian
Internet service providers.

"They're using sophisticated technology to degrade service, which
probably costs them a lot of money. It would be better to see them use
that money to improve service," Navin said, noting that BitTorrent and
other peer-to-peer applications are a major reason consumers sign up
for broadband.

BitTorrent Inc. announced Oct. 9 that it was teaming up with online
video companies to use its technology to distribute legal content.

Affecting others
Other companies that rely on peer-to-peer technology, and could be
affected if Comcast decides to expand the range of applications it
filters, include Internet TV service Joost, eBay Inc.'s Skype
video-conferencing program and movie download appliance Vudu. There is
no sign that Comcast is hampering those services.

Comcast subscriber Robb Topolski, a former software quality engineer
at Intel Corp., started noticing the interference when trying to
upload with file-sharing programs Gnutella and eDonkey early this
year.

In August, Topolski began to see reports on Internet forum
DSLreports.com from other Comcast users with the same problem. He now
believes that his home town of Hillsboro, Ore., was a test market for
the technology that was later widely applied in other Comcast service
areas.

Topolski agrees that Comcast has a right to manage its network and
slow down traffic that affects other subscribers, but disapproves of
their method.

"By Comcast not acknowledging that they do this at all, there's no way
to report any problems with it," Topolski said.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


That would explain why my upload speed drops to single digits after
completing a download.

.

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