Though Comcast has denied it in the past, a new nationwide test conducted by the Associated Press shows that the cable giant is indeed actively interfering with file sharing through services like BitTorrent, eDonkey and Gnutella.
The AP’s tests showed that Comcast (CMCSA) is not hindering the downloading of BitTorrent files, but the company does block or delay uploads. The problem being that with the peer-to-peer nature of BitTorrent’s technology, uploads and downloads are interchangeable. When files are being exchanged between two computers, Comcast surreptitiously steps in and gets the two machines to hang up on each other.
A Comcast spokesperson told the AP:
“Comcast does not block access to any applications, including BitTorrent.” - Comcast spokesperson Charlie Douglas
When pressed, Douglas would not define what he meant by “access.”
Comcast’s actions are re-igniting the debate about net neutrality, as its practices are indiscriminate when it comes to the type of content being shared online. An independent producer distributing his own film, for example, is treated with the same regard as a pirate trading illegal copies of movies.
For its part, Comcast says it has a right to manage its network in order to ensure that a small portion of file sharers are not affecting the bandwidth of other customers. Other ISPs engage in so-called “traffic-shaping,” which slows down some types of traffic. But Comcast is targeting one type of traffic.
Comcast’s reputation suffered another blow, literally, when 75-year-old Mona Shaw took a hammer to her local Comcast customer service office and started smashing up the joint. She was upset, to say the least, when Comcast missed an installation date and basically treated her like a BitTorrent file.
Doing a Google on comcast and blocking I have found that people across the nation are finding that Comcast has been blocking many networks and sites.
Mokie and Brats are teasers. I wonder how many of us have actually had the On-Cor version of stuffed peppers. They are almost as bad as their meatloaf, lol. It's really hard to eat something with catsup after trying something that they have thrown into a box and frozen. I do like their Salisbury steaks though. Stouffers makes pretty good stuffed peppers but I almost choked to death on them once when the outer layer of skin came off the pepper in my throat. I prefer home made when there is the time to make them. The amount of prep is very simple and quick.
On Yahoo!'s Q3 Earnings call today, it was announced that we intend to transition Yahoo! 360 to a more integrated Yahoo! experience in early 2008. I want to provide additional information on this news and assure you that we will minimize any disruption to you and our valued Yahoo! 360 community. I also want to assure you that you can still use all the features of Yahoo! 360 until this transition takes place in early 2008.
We will be sharing specifics of this transition over the next several months, but I can tell you today that Yahoo! 360 will transition to a new universal Yahoo! profile that will be closely tied to other relevant services across Yahoo!, and will include improved blogging capabilities.
With the announcement of this transition, we assure you:
The vibrant community that has flourished on Yahoo! 360 is important to many people, and it is important Yahoo!. Providing a smooth transition is a top priority for us, and we want to emphasize that we are committed to preserving your blog content and friends lists throughout the transition.
Many of you have asked if Mash, Yahoo!'s experimental profile service, will replace Yahoo! 360. We know this is an important question for many of you, and even more so given this news. We don't have all the answers today, but we are testing solutions, including Mash, in order to provide a more integrated universal Yahoo! profile throughout the Yahoo! network.
We hear your concerns. We are listening to your feedback, and we are committed to providing a more useful, engaging, and valuable service in the future.
Best,
Matt Warburton
Yahoo! Community Manager
