Comcast censors 'Net traffic

When you hear of Internet access being blocked, you think of it as being done by some authoritarian foreign regime. But if you think it can't happen in America, think again.

For all the problems I've had in my area with cable TV and Internet access, at least I can thank my lucky stars this isn't a Comcast market. Comcast is the largest cable TV provider and second-largest Internet provider in America, serving many larger metropolitan areas - thanks to government-awarded monopolies. I know Memphis has Comcast, because they provided the cable TV in the motel room where I stayed on my recent trip. Yes, this is where the cable went out for hours.

Now it's been discovered that Comcast illegally blocks some Internet traffic from its high-speed customers. Comcast deliberately interferes with customers' use of file sharing networks - without proving that they've ever shared illegally copied files. Even if they were sharing files illegally, it's not Comcast's job to be the Judge Judy and executioner. Some of the networks Comcast illegally interferes with, such as BitTorrent, are known primarily for content that is not illegally copied.

Comcast's fascism is the worst known example of an Internet provider in America censoring content using data discrimination. And - based on FCC regulations - it's no more legal than the phone company tapping phones to block calls. Some speculate Comcast does this just to save bandwidth, but this speculation is debunked by the fact that Comcast could just as easily invest in upgrading its nodes to efficiently handle today's amount of online traffic.

Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas said, "Comcast does not block access to any applications, including BitTorrent." Sorry, Charlie, that's not true. Even the AP's test shows that Comcast blocks uploads to BitTorrent. (It's not like other companies don't have similar problems - as anyone who used the original Napster on dialup learned when the phone company would disconnect them during a download.) Comcast breaks in with a message to the computers of both the sender and the recipient of the file - pretending to be sent by the other computer - to tell it to stop the file transfer using a forged packet. The AP's Peter Svensson likens this to a phone operator mimicking the voice of individuals having a phone conversation and breaking in and hanging up.

Comcast's scuzziness affects all types of file transfers. So if an independent musician wanted to distribute authorized copies of their music using a file-sharing network, they wouldn't be able to. Not even the Almighty is safe from being censored by Comcast. The AP's test involved attempting to upload the King James Bible, a document that's perfectly legal to trade. (This translation of the Bible was copyrighted, but even if the copyright holders didn't want this work distributed, the copyright would have expired by now because this text was published in 1611.)

Furthermore, Comcast advertises unlimited access. Censoring file sharing networks means they're guilty of false advertising. If it blocks peer-to-peer access, what's next? Will it also block website access too?

All this from a company that not only has a monopoly in cable TV in some areas but also in high-speed Internet.

Comcast's cable service is bad enough. In some of its markets, it relegated MSNBC to a secondary paid tier, but didn't do the same to the more right-wing Fox News Channel. So Comcast's data discrimination isn't just limited to the Internet, I see. Oh, and there's an amusing story on Comcast's shitty cable service looming, so hang on to your hats.

'Net neutrality is the naturally ordained notion that Internet providers can't discriminate against types of data - and 'Net neutrality is already mandated by FCC regulations. But Congress and the states need to pass new statutes to put some teeth into the 'Net neutrality rules, because right now the FCC makes no effort to enforce its own regulations. The FCC is too busy raiding unlicensed stations for playing "I Eat Poop Everyday."

We need neutrality to stop the brutality. Tell your congresscritters and your state lawmakers. (Or if you live in D.C., which the Republicans won't let have a congresscritter, write City Council.)

(Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21376597;
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/10/19/213152/62;
http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2007/10/19/comcast/index.html)