FCC Chief: Comcast Needs To Change Its Ways

In what could be a victory for Net neutrality advocates, FCC chairman Kevin J. Martin said the agency should uphold complaints that Comcast was unlawfully blocking peer-to-peer traffic on its network.For its part, Comcast, as well as other cable and phone companies, say they should be free to run their networks the way they want. But doing so violates several open-Internet regulations, counters consumer organizations and Internet rights activists. Specifically, they said Comcast was blocking file-sharing applications and services, such as BitTorrent, which distributes movies and other media online. In his recommendation, Martin didn't impose a fine, but, if approved, would require Comcast to reveal its practices. The FCC, which launched its investigation at the beginning of the year, will rule on Martin's recommendation Aug. 1.ChannelWeb, The New York Times