Just by way of re-introduction if necessary, I’m probably a key figure
as to why we’re all talking about Network Neutrality again. I was having a
problem uploading on Gnutella in early 2007. I tracked it down to
Comcast using Sandvine-injected RST packets and documented it. Blog
stories led to press stories which led to independent confirmation.
And here we are today.

Today Comcast and BitTorrent seems to have solved world hunger — and
I’d love nothing more than to be optimistic about it. But I cannot
be. As they say on Slashdot — show video, or it didn’t happen. This
deal is treachery, relies on how much we can trust the word of
Comcast, and leaves the public interests out in the cold.

I think it’s strange that anyone believes a word that Comcast says.
This is the Comcast that:

1. Told the FCC in 2005 that they would not degrade traffic in order
to convince the FCC that network neutrality regulations were not
needed. They told the Justice Committee the same thing in 2006.

2. Started degrading P2P traffic in 2006, and failed to
tell anyone what they were doing.

3. Used a system that utilized forgery, and successfully placed blame
on the other peer instead of Comcast.

4. Denied it when caught.

5. Then changed their story when the denials were not believed, but
still never came out and said what they were doing.

6. Then they justified their actions by throwing their other
Cable-Internet brothers and sisters under the bus with their “they do
it too!” defense

7. Then stealthily changed the AUP days before an FCC filing where
they referred to the new provisions.

8. When the changed AUP started getting press attention, they stated
that a prominent story on Comcast.net alerted millions of visitors of
the change and accused Marvin Ammori of crying wolf. (Google cache
proved that nothing alerted users to the changed AUP until the day
after the press started asking questions.)

9. Then they packed the Harvard FCC hearing.

This company has not demonstrated that you can trust its promises, nor
can you believe its assertions. Comcast just used BitTorrent Inc. as a
tool to try and defang the FCC.

BitTorrent Inc. is a content provider. Vuze, who actually DID make a
complaint and petition to the FCC, is a competitor. Neither
BitTorrent, Vuze, nor Comcast represents the interests of 12 million
Comcast users nor the The Internet Society nor the public. And this
middle-of-the-night deal was made without their input.

Nothing has changed. The RST interference continues. It was a wrongful
act. BitTorrent Inc. has no right making a deal with Comcast allowing
it to continue to commit wrongful acts until it finally decides it is
ready to stop. The correct relief is to stop the interference
immediately and to FULLY DISCLOSE what it did and to accept
responsibility for those actions. (Even today, Comcast’s Policy VP
refused to answer questions about the interference.)

Their word is worthless. Until the interference stops, I have no
reason to believe it will. Until either meaningful competition returns
to broadband, or until sufficient government regulation enforces
Network Neutrality, we have no reason to think that this agreement
will last through the night.

Robb Topolski

http://www.technologyreview.com/Wire/20483/?nlid=970