eBuzz - Scamming the SEO Public

Comcast Isn't Getting Away With It

Not this time, anyway. In an article in Online Daily, Wendy Davis notes that the FCC will sanction Comcast for deliberately slowing net traffic, as reported in earlier eBuzzes here.

"The FCC's two Democrats" writes Davis, "Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein, agree with chair Kevin Martin that Comcast's traffic-shaping techniques violated net neutrality principles, according to press reports. The five-member commission is expected to issue a ruling on Friday."

She continues:

Martin has said for months that he believes the FCC has the authority to enforce net neutrality principles. He also has publicly criticized Comcast for having implemented a traffic-shaping system that impeded subscribers' ability to use the Web without informing customers ahead of time.

Two weeks ago, Martin said he had drafted a proposed ruling stating that Comcast violated the principle that Internet service providers should treat all Web traffic equally. That proposed order called for Comcast to stop throttling traffic and disclose all network management plans to subscribers, but did not contain a fine. At the time, it was widely expected that the FCC's two Democrats would also vote against Comcast.

Comcast has already said it will develop a protocol-agnostic traffic-shaping strategy, but advocates still cheered the news that the FCC appears to be ready to publicly condemn Comcast. "If adopted, this order would send a strong signal to the marketplace that arbitrarily interfering with users' online choices is not acceptable," Marvin Ammori, general counsel of Free Press, said in a statement.

eMarketers are dependent on ISPs to pass email along, and ensuring that net neutrality remains constant is essential for us to continue our work and put out effective campaigns for our client companies. We applaud the FCC for stepping up to the plate and helping to ensure that net neutrality remains in force, even when giants like Comcast would like to behave otherwise.

And that's our take on the news today!

Click here to return to eBuzz Archives