eBuzz - Comcast Continues to Block Traffic

Comcast Continues to Block Traffic

Confirming testimony in April of this year by FCC chairman Kevin Martin, a new study by the Max Planck Institute shows that Comcast and Cox Communications continue to block ButTorrent traffic around the clock, not just at peak consumption hours as previously claimed by the ISPs, and advocacy groups and consumers alike are calling for Congress to enact a bill on net neutrality prohibiting broadband providers from slowing or blocking internet traffic.

In an email to the IDG News Service, Ben Scott, policy director of Free Press, writes that "Consumers have no reason left to trust their cable company. "[The] sophisticated testing shows that Comcast and Cox block BitTorrent applications at all times of the day — not just at times of peak traffic. Now is the time to send a clear signal to the market that blocking consumers' access to the lawful Internet content of their choice is out of bounds."

Do you need to worry about your newsletters and emarketing getting through? No—not any more than you usually worry about deliverability. Most emarketers are not directly affected by BitTorrent issues. BitTorrent is a peer-to-peer application that provides open-source file-sharing, which is effective for distributing very large files (typically used for video, music, and online games).

But net neutrality is still very much our concern. If Comcast or any other ISP can justify blocking any content, then it can (and perhaps eventually will) justify blocking our content as well. The protection sought will protect us all.

And that's our take on the news today!

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