Comcast to Stop Blocking BitTorrent File Sharing Technology

April 2, 2008

In a move sure to please its industry critics, Comcast Corp. has announced that it will no longer block peer-to-peer file-sharing technologies from BitTorrent Inc. and other companies after a long dispute over the issue. Rather, Comcast has pledged to work in collaboration with BitTorrent to more effectively address issues associated with rich media content and network capacity management.

Blocking Practices will Stop by Year end

Comcast’s practice of blocking peer-to-peer (P2P) technologies has come under federal scrutiny. The cable television and Internet provider says it will continue to manage Internet traffic during peak times but promised to end the practice of blocking file sharing by the end of 2008.

Tony Werner, Comcast Cable’s chief technology officer, said in a recent statement: “This means that we will have to rapidly reconfigure our network management systems, but the outcome will be a traffic management technique that is more appropriate for today's emerging Internet trends. We have been discussing this migration and its effects with leaders in the Internet community for the last several months, and we will refine, adjust, and publish the technique based upon feedback and initial trial results."

Comcast and BitTorrent to Develop New Technologies for P2P

Both Comcast and BitTorrent Inc. will also work with other tech companies, Internet service providers, and the Internet Engineering Task Force to “explore and develop a new distribution architecture” to more efficiently deliver rich media content.

According to BitTorrent Inc. co-founder and president, Ashwin Navin, “BitTorrent will take the first step in enhancing our client applications to optimize them for a new broadband network architecture. Furthermore, we will publish these optimizations in open forums and standard bodies for all application developers to benefit from."