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Senators Call For Hearing On Carrier Content Blocking

Posted by kdawson on from the net-neutrality-by-any-other-name dept.

HangingChad writes "Two Senators on Friday called for a congressional hearing to investigate reports that phone and cable companies are unfairly stifling communications over the Internet and on cell phones. Now that the Senate is getting into the act, Comcast will probably want to come up with some new talking points as their old ones were leaked."

4 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. it's not a truck by User+956 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Comcast will probably want to come up with some new talking points as their old ones were leaked.

    Well, leaks happen when your whole infrastructure is nothing but a series of tubes.

    --
    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    1. Re:it's not a truck by RobertM1968 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Here's the best part that no one seems to have mentioned, but ComCast is 100% telling the truth. Please read their WORDING.

      I read that Comcast is limiting customer access to BitTorrent. Is this true?

      Respond:
      No. We do not block access to any applications, including BitTorrent. We also respect our customers' privacy and don't monitor specific customer activities on the Internet or track individual online behavior, such as which websites they visit. Therefore, we do not know whether any individual user is visiting BitTorrent or any other site.

      Note that ComCast states that they "do not block access to any applications, including BitTorrent" (emphasis mine). They do NOT at all answer the question of whether they are throttling or limiting BitTorrent traffic. And if that's their standard form response to everyone, it means they can tell the truth - by simply not answering the real question (and hoping they mislead the questioner into believing they have).

      It's much like the cheap hamburger patties that are made with 100% real beef - as opposed to the ones that are 100% real beef. One statement claims that the beef portion in the patties are 100% real, while the other states that the patties are 100% real beef.

      Semantics is/are a wonderful thing.

      --
      StarTrekPhase2 - The Five Year Mission Continues!
  2. It probably won't make any difference. by kcbrown · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The telco execs can lie to congress all day long and they won't get so much as a slap on the wrist for it.

    For the same reason, congress ultimately won't do anything about the telcos and cable companies blocking content -- they're paid (bribed, in various forms, most of which are almost certainly not on the record) not to.

    Not only are they paid not to by the telcos, they're paid not to by the RIAA, MPAA, and the media corporations. That latter is especially important because without the support of the media, you will not win an election campaign, period.

    Big corporations rule the U.S. these days, and there's no stopping it now. There's no way to, even including violent revolution. We're way past the point of no return. And it's not just the U.S., either, but most of the rest of the world as well.

    Historically, totalitarianism of one form or another has been by far the preferred form of government, as evidenced by the fact that the vast majority of the people who have ever lived have lived under it. The experiment with freedom in the world is tiny in comparison.

    Well, it was nice while it lasted. I'm going to miss it.

    --
    Use 'slashdot stuff' in the subject line in any email you send me if you want to get past the spam filter.
  3. Re:unfair vs. illiegal by Silverlancer · · Score: 5, Informative

    Comcast doesn't filter Bittorrent--they FALSIFY RST packets in order to terminate connections, which is wire fraud and therefore completely illegal.