Comcast, one of the largest broadband providers in the U.S., sent an eighty-page report to the F.C.C. Tuesday. The report explains why it is perfectly reasonable and legal for them to use packet shaping on their network. The methods of “network management,” as Comcast calls it, are being called by some direct violations of net neutrality.
Comcast, one of the largest broadband providers in the U.S., sent an eighty-page report to the F.C.C. Tuesday. The report explains why it is perfectly reasonable and legal for them to use packet shaping on their network. The methods of “network management,” as Comcast calls it, are being called by some direct violations of net neutrality. (Photo: Comcast/J. Anderson)
Packet shaping is at the least shady, and an underhanded way to manage traffic on a nationwide broadband network in the way Comcast uses it. Packet shaping slows or in some cases stops packets of a certain kind on a network. It is a common practice by network administrators to manage high bandwidth usage. You can also use it to namage attacks, and botnets looking at the security angle. Comcast has taken heat in the grass roots news, with bloggers and some press writers attacking them over their methods of using packet shaping to slow or often stop BitTorrent traffic.
In their defense, Comcast singles BitTorrent out as the cause of congestion on their network. To remedy this, they shape traffic to filter it. The national news picks on the BitTorrent protocol, calling it something used mainly by piracy rings and criminals. While it is true you can use the protocol for illicit gains, it is still a legit protocol, and one that is used to share perfectly legal files. The issue many have with Comcast is that they assume all BitTorrent traffic is illegal and promptly filter it.
However, Comcast in their report to the F.C.C., claim that this is okay, and they do not “block” anything. They use a confusing analogy involving traffic jams to explain the shaping of their network, “…one would not claim that the car is 'blocked' or 'prevented' from entering the freeway. Rather, it is briefly delayed, then permitted onto the freeway in its turn while all other traffic is kept moving as expeditiously as possible.”
“That sounds good, but again, is simply not related to reality. If you're waiting to get on the highway, you know what the situation is. You know how far you are from the highway and you can see how much traffic there is in front of you and how fast it's actually moving. In Comcast's case, you'd be driving towards the highway on a perfectly open road, and then suddenly, without reason or explanation, Comcast would have your car stop moving and pretend like nothing was wrong. That's a bit different,” said Mike Masnick over at TechDirt. They have been covering the Comcast issue since it was first noticed, remaining vocal over how silly the company is with their stalling and stonewalling of the media.
While humorous, Masnick’s comment is pretty close to the truth. The reality is worse, “Actually, you and your car would be returned to your driveway (since you'd probably have to re-start the file transfer,” reads one comment on Masnick’s article.
Net neutrality is the issue Comcast is fighting over, because they block BitTorrent they are seen as violating that neutral state of the Internet. “Simply stated, there is nothing "neutral" about a network that is not managed. An unmanaged network simply means that users who make disproportionately resource-intensive demand on the network can crowd out fellow users,” Comcast said.
Comcast would like the F.C.C. to stay out of it, claiming that the blogosphere will keep them honest. The blogosphere, and the thousands of bloggers who took up the cause, were the ones who first to caught Comcast in the act. They were the ones who were ignored or avoided. Consumer watchdogs have been vocal about the packet shaping as well, and Comcast has lied, ignored, or avoided the subject. Maybe the F.C.C. should step in.
The issue many who have followed the drama with Comcast have is that they do not explain what they block, how or why. They claim this would lead to users defeating the protections in place (packet shaping), but this is already happening. Unless the F.C.C. steps in and finally takes charge on net neutrality, Comcast will continue, business as normal.
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