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Comcast Sued Over File-Sharing Interference

Telecom giant says it slows high-volume users to protect wider network

By Lucas Laursen,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 15, 2007 7:33 AM CST

(Newser) – A subscriber has sued Comcast for slowing file-sharing activities after an AP report last month showed that the nation's largest cable company falsely signals file-sharing software that the network connection has dropped. The man alleges that Comcast misleads consumers by claiming it offers "mind-blowing" speeds and "unfettered access" to the Internet, reports the AP.

Consumer groups and legal scholars asked the FCC last month to order Comcast to stop the interference—some even asked to slap Comcast with a $195,000 fine per affected subscriber. The company admitted it delays some file-sharing operations after the Electronic Frontier Foundation confirmed AP’s results, but says the delays protect the network from being swamped by a few high-volume users.

A sign bearing Comcast's name hangs in the lobby of its state headquarters in Sandy, Utah. in this Nov. 3, 2005 file photo. Comcast Corp., the nation's biggest cable operator, was sued yesterday by an Internet subscriber over the company's practice of actively thwarting high-volume file-sharers.  (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac,...
A sign bearing Comcast's name hangs in the lobby of its state headquarters in Sandy, Utah. in this Nov. 3, 2005 file photo. Comcast Corp., the nation's biggest cable operator, was sued yesterday by an...   (Associated Press)
A technician for Comcast Corp. heads out on a job in this Feb. 2, 2006 file photo in Salt Lake City. Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable television operator, on Thursday, April 26, 2007 reported that first-quarter profits surged by 80 percent, in part helped by a one-time gain resulting...
A technician for Comcast Corp. heads out on a job in this Feb. 2, 2006 file photo in Salt Lake City. Comcast Corp., the nation's largest cable television operator, on Thursday, April 26, 2007 reported...   (Associated Press)
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