Internet Subscriber Sues Comcast
Class-Action Filing Claims Breach of Contract by Cable Operator for Blocking Certain Internet Applications
By Jon Hemingway -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/15/2007 12:47:00 PM
A subscriber to Comcast’s high-speed-Internet product is suing the cable operator for blocking the use of certain Internet applications.
The complaint, filed in the Supreme Court of California by plaintiff Jon Hart, alleged that Comcast intentionally impeded the use of certain Internet applications such as peer-to-peer networks and Lotus Notes, “slowing such applications to a mere crawl or stopping them altogether.” Thus, it did not deliver on its claim of high-speed and “unfettered access to the Internet,” according to the suit.
The class-action filing seeks to recover fees paid by customers of the high-speed-Internet service based on breach of contract.
In October, a wire story accused Comcast of tampering with customer Internet access, essentially blocking their use of applications that require large amounts of bandwidth. In response last week, coalition group Hands Off the Internet filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission to step in and investigate.
In response to the AP article, Comcast issued a statement saying that it did not interfere with customers’ online activity. “We do not block access to any Web site or applications, including BitTorrent,” the statement read. “Our customers use the Internet for downloading and uploading files, watching movies and videos, streaming music, sharing digital photos, accessing numerous peer-to-peer sites, VoIP [voice-over-Internet-protocol] applications like Vonage and thousands of other applications online.”
