Comcast May Adopt Bill of Rights For File-Sharing

[Geekyfanboy]

Comcast May Adopt Bill of Rights For File-Sharing
by Michael Hickerson on Wednesday, 16 Apr 2008

Comcast Corp is looking to create a "Bill of Rights and Responsibility" for file sharing according to a report in the Associated Press.  Comcast is currently under federal investigation for interfering with the traffic of Internet subscribers who use some of the popular file-sharing services.

The announcement expands on Comcast's new policy toward file-sharing that was announced last month.  Rather than singling out such traffic and blocking it, the company wants to move toward a system that treats all types of downloads the same.

The document would codify "best practices" for Internet providers to deal with file-sharing traffic, which can place substantial loads on the networks of cable companies. It would also clarify what controls consumers should have over peer-to-peer (or P2P) file-sharing applications on their computers. Some of these applications are often designed to run in the background, and give the user little insight into what they're doing or the system resources they're using.

"By having this framework in place, we will help P2P companies, ISPs and content owners find common ground to support consumers who want to use P2P applications to deliver legal content," said Tony Werner, Comcast's chief technology officer.

Comcast is reported to be working with BitTorrent, Inc. to determine how ISPs and P2P companies can peacefully coexist.

Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas said Tuesday's announcement is "another example of how we can work with the industry to solve these issues rather than getting the government involved." Regulation won't be able to keep up with the pace of change in the technology, he said.

The Federal Communications Commission is investigating complaints from consumer groups about Comcast's treatment of file-sharing traffic, and the commission chairman has said he's "pleased" that the company is moving to end its practice of stifling file-sharing.

Also Tuesday, Comcast said it would conduct tests with Pando's software on its network to figure out how to best deal with P2P traffic.