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Comcast, BitTorrent kiss, make up in attempt to keep regulators away

Summary: Comcast and BitTorrent said Thursday that they will collaborate and figure out the best way to manage peer-to-peer traffic on the cable giant's network. Regulators began holding hearings after Comcast had used network shaping techniques to manage P2P traffic much to the chagrin of BitTorrent.

Larry Dignan

By for Between the Lines |

Comcast and BitTorrent said Thursday that they will collaborate and figure out the best way to manage peer-to-peer traffic on the cable giant's network. Regulators began holding hearings after Comcast had used network shaping techniques to manage P2P traffic much to the chagrin of BitTorrent.

But now the two parties are best buddies (Techmeme). In other words, the BitTorrent flap was becoming a PR and regulatory headache for Comcast--especially when the FCC was holding hearings on the matter. Comcast's network shaping techniques were beginning to look even worse considering Verizon was playing ball with legit P2P companies.

According to a statement Comcast and BitTorrent will "more effectively address issues associated with rich media content and network capacity management."

Meanwhile, Comcast is making a network neutrality pledge:

The Comcast and BitTorrent discussions have already produced meaningful results. On the one hand, Comcast announced that it will migrate by year-end 2008 to a capacity management technique that is protocol agnostic.

Comcast CTO Tony Werner said the company will reconfigure its network and manage traffic in a way that's "more appropriate for Internet trends." Comcast then plans to publish its techniques.

In exchange, BitTorrent acknowledges that ISPs have to manage networks during peak congestion periods. Given the number of lengthy canned quotes in Comcast's release it's clear that the two parties didn't want Congress making the rules. The money quote:

Both BitTorrent and Comcast expressed the view that these technical issues can be worked out through private business discussions without the need for government intervention.

Topics: Networking, CXO

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11 comments
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  • hahah

    comcast finally swallowed. I hear nothing but bad stuff about them.. its good to hear this.
    Been_Done_Before
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Comcast, BitTorrent kiss, make up in attempt to keep regulators away

    there are other net providers and p2p sites. Why should comcast and bitorrent be allowed to set precedent instead of elected officials? Whatever comcast works out will clearly have the best interests of the company, not the customers, in mind
    joeherb15@...
    Reply Vote

    • Their cooperation has no legal effect, they are only trying to avoid

      government intervention and get rid of the public relations nightmare. Well, the publicity has all been very good for BitTorrent.
      DonnieBoy
      Reply Vote

  • Well, I am surprised it took Comcast this long to come to their senses!!

    They should have apologized a long time ago.
    DonnieBoy
    Reply Vote

    • Yes

      But the problem is the distortion and innuendo from anti BT lobby. Thank god they came to their senses before a real disaster happened. This is only their self interest after all to service their customers and should not be a difficult choice.
      Altotus
      Reply Vote

  • Paraphrasing Bitty/Rupert/No_Acks

    Paraphrasing Bitty: "Comcast is now an accessory to theft."

    :o)
    Jack-Booted EULA
    Reply Vote

    • comcast not accessory to theft

      Many torrent files are legally redistributable.
      To say otherwise is untrue and misleading.
      vi0l3t1975@...
      Reply Vote

  • RE: ALL ISPs should filter ALL P2P *intelligently* ...

    For the sake of both the ISPs customers and the ISPs themselves P2P traffic needs to be subject to INTELLIGENT handling. This means that P2P programs need to attach a distinct header even if the contents are encrypted AND ISPs need to be able to treat those packets with a lower ranking priority, allowing packets associated with web browsing and directly viewed media to take precedence. If properly implemented, this should actually serve to enhance both types of service since NOBODY wins when the pipe is allowed to become clogged. There is indeed only so much bandwidth out there and when it is available, P2P users should have full access to it. When it is not, they should be required to step aside to allow the other, more time sensitive traffic to proceed. The "throttling" approach is not only not very effective, it is also just dumb. The ISPs have to ask themselves if they are in business to sell the service or not. You don't make money by making your customers mad. You make money by educating your customers and providing them with the best up front transparent service possible with the most cost effective technology available.
    George Mitchell
    Reply Vote

  • Where's No_Ax Calling For Comcast's Head?

    In his feeble mind they are now traitors and accessories to thievery.
    itanalyst2@...
    Reply Vote

  • RE: Comcast, BitTorrent kiss, make up in attempt to keep regulators away

    Whatever this deal means, it does not mean that Comcast is out of the throttling business. We at Public Knowledge are still pushing forward with our petition to the FCC to demand that Comcast abide by the FCC principles of network management. More information about our petition can be found at:

    http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1485
    publicknowledge
    Reply Vote

  • Simple solution to BitTorrent problem

    Simply have BitTorrent implement a change in which it prefers seeders on the same local node, this will save a significant amount of bandwidth on the overall network.

    - John Musbach
    John Musbach
    Reply Vote
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