FCC to rule against Comcast for blocking P2P traffic

Comcast came under fire last year for using some rather dubious tactics to block file sharing and peer to peer traffic to customers who use BitTorrent sites for sharing files. The cable and internet service provider has since had a contentious relationship with the FCC, which has been mulling for months whether Comcast’s network management practices were “reasonable.”

The commission is expected to take up the issue at its next public meeting on Friday and it appears that a majority of the agency’s five commissioners have already decided to vote in favor of an “enforcement action” against Comcast. The ruling will be somewhat symbolic, seeing that Comcast would not be fined. Nevertheless, the company would be required to halt its current practice of hindering peer-to-peer applications, to disclose to the FCC how the practice has been used, and to notify customers about other network management practices it adopts in the future.

It would also mark a significant victory for the “Net Neutrality” campaign and, more importantly, lay out key guidelines for operators of broadband networks as to what the FCC considers to be a “reasonable” way for them to manage their networks.