Slashdot Mirror
Comcast, Pando Partner For "P2P Bill of Rights"
Bibek Paudel writes "Comcast on Tuesday announced that it would partner with Pando Networks to create a P2P bill of rights for file-sharing networks and Internet service providers. Comcast and Pando will meet with industry experts, other ISPs, and P2P companies in order to come up with a set of rules that would clarify how a user can use P2P applications and how an ISP can manage file-sharing programs running on their networks. Last month, Comcast announced that it had reached an agreement with BitTorrent whereby Comcast agreed to alter its network management practices, and BitTorrent acknowledged that Comcast has the right to police its own network. Comcast's battle with P2P networks started last year after the Associated Press published an article that accused Comcast of blocking peer-to-peer services like BitTorrent. Comcast admitted to delaying P2P traffic during peak times, but denied that any file-sharing applications were being completely blocked."
This is a publicity move.
BitTorrent, the company, has no say over how people use bittorrent/bittorrent-inspired clients on any other networks. Whether the company says Comcast has a right to police its own network. Technically, they do, but not in a way that is misleading the consumer--companies need to be up front about what they are offering, and Comcast has both broken access to the internet on on BT client in a manner beyond what one obviously expects through normal internet operation, and Comcast has lied all the way about it. It's not a net neutrality issue, it's a contractual issue. If someone sells you a car that they say works great turns out to have a shot engine and they knew about it, then that is misleading the consumer.
Regardless of that, though, Comcast just wants the general public and politicians to think that by getting some sort of acknowledge from the company that now makes the BT client/runs the official network, or the bittorrent company site.
It says nothing of all non-Bittorent-the-company sites. This, again, is just a diversion, a trick to play on the general public.