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Comcast Blocks Some Internet Traffic

This, my friends, is why we need laws about Net Neutrality. Independent testing shows that Comcast, the second largest Internet service provider, actively interferes with BitTorrent file sharing by its customers. BitTorrent, while sometimes used for the illegal transfer of copyrighted material, is also used by hundreds of legitimate companies and organizations to quickly distribute large files. For example, OpenOffice.org, Ubuntu Linux, and other organizations with large downloadable products each offer and encourage downloading with BitTorrent. I’d bet that Verizon and other ISPs discriminate against BitTorrent traffic too (I am starting to have strange issues sharing legal ‘torrents’ myself). I have a right to use my Internet connection for whatever kind of legal data traffic I want, and it is time to protect that right by law.

The views expressed in this post are mine and mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer, Web.com.

Scott Bradford has been putting his opinions on his website since 1995—before most people knew what a website was. He has been a professional web developer in the public- and private-sector for over twenty years. He is an independent constitutional conservative who believes in human rights and limited government, and a Catholic Christian whose beliefs are summarized in the Nicene Creed. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from George Mason University. He loves Pink Floyd and can play the bass guitar . . . sort-of. He’s a husband, pet lover, amateur radio operator, and classic AMC/Jeep enthusiast.