Will cable kill the video stars?
Comcast is likely blocking all large file transfers not just BitTorrent, which is why it can say it is not deliberately targeting any specific applications. How will YouTube and the 140 other video sharing sites survive?
YouTube videos are up to 100 MB in size, other video sites take larger files. I've already heard anecdotal stories of people unable to upload video files to a video hosting platform.
If Comcast is doing this then other cable and telco companies will be doing it too.
Why is Comcast filtering out large files on its network? Because it needs the bandwidth.
Take a look at its most recent quarterly financial report: (RGU = Revenue Generating Units)
- Highest level of second quarter RGU additions in Comcast history RGU additions up 94% to 1.6 million
- Surpassed 3 million Comcast Digital Voice customers as the Triple Play powers record quarterly additions
Demonstrating the appeal of our superior products and our Triple Play package, our cable division delivered 1.6 million RGU additions, 94% above last year's second quarter additions.
To achieve this record-breaking performance, we added more than 670,000 Comcast Digital Voice customers and, in just 2 years, have surpassed 3 million digital voice customers.
We also successfully completed the immense operational task of deploying an unprecedented 2.1 million digital set-top boxes in the second quarter in advance of a July 1 regulatory deadline.
Comcast can block other traffic because it can say, "We have a contract with our customers to deliver the digital services we have promised and give our traffic higher priority."
That means individuals that have Comcast and want to do large file transfers will not be supported and will leave. And Comcast just got rid of it's most expensive customers.
But such policies will also harm YouTube and all the other video hosting services, and a lot more other sites. So much for user generated content.
So much for net neutrality.
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Please also see:
Net Neutrality: The shareholders of the IT tech giants are losing out to the "valued customers"