Comcast Proposes Fair Share Plan

The FCC ordered Comcast to terminate its efforts to block P2P traffic. The cable company is testing new technology that would slow Internet transmissions for heavy users.

The Federal Communications Commission ordered Comcast Corporation to stop its discriminatory management practices. The cable company used blocking technics to throttle peer-to-peer Internet traffic.

Comcast said it was testing new technologies that would slow Internet transmission speeds for heavier users by up to 20 minutes.

Public interest groups welcomed the FCC's order and said it will continue to stop network operators from using throttling practices on the Internet.

The cable company provider is proposing a "Fair Share plan" that would limit the heaviest Internet users during congestion periods. The FCC labels the plan as "discriminatory management practices,"

Mitch Bowling of Comcast said the plan is based on congestion rather than on applications.

Earlier this month, the FCC found the company used "unreasonable network-management practices" in blocking P2P programs such as BitTorrent. The cable company had repeatedly changed its story when asked by the FCC to explain its actions.

The company now has 30 days to provide a plan to change this practice by the end of the year.