Bits

Comcast reportedly plans to reduce Internet service to customers it deems to be using too much bandwidth, a move that comes on the heels of federal regulators ruling that the Internet service provider violated the law by throttling BitTorrent transfers.

To keep service flowing to other customers, Comcast plans to impede Internet speeds to its heaviest users for up to 20 minutes, Mitch Bowling, Comcast's senior vice president and general manager of online services, told Bloomberg in an interview Tuesday.

Instead of focusing on specific applications that may be hogging traffic, Comcast plans to determine "in nearly real … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday finally released the text of its 3-2 ruling saying Comcast violated the law when throttling BitTorrent transfers, marking the first time any broadband provider has been found to violate Net neutrality rules.

Comcast will be required to take these steps in the next 30 days: disclose "the precise contours" of its current and future network management practices, and submit a "nondiscriminatory network management" compliance plan so government regulators can decide whether they approve. The company will not be fined.

If Comcast fails to comply, it will be automatically required to &… Read more

Join us for a quick rundown of today's headlines. Some of what the tech world is talking about: Time-Warner has confirmed that it will split its AOL access and media units next year; GTA IV is making its way onto PCs this fall; and BitTorrent may be laying off 22 percent of its staff.

Today's stories:

Time Warner: Hiding AOL woes under Joker makeup

Google sells search marketing group

Report: BitTorrent laying off 22 percent of staff

Free Wi-Fi for U.K. MySpace users, kind of

Microsoft releases SQL Server 2008

'GTA IV' making its way onto PCs this fall… Read more

Things aren't going so good over at file-sharing wunderkind, BitTorrent.

According to a report on Valleywag Wednesday, BitTorrent is laying off its entire sales and marketing department, 12 people out of the company's entire staff of 55.

"The immediate cause of the layoffs," according to Valleywag, is "a failure to sell the Torrent Entertainment Network, BitTorrent's attempt at an online media store, to Best Buy for a rumored $15 million."

The story goes on to state that a source told Valleywag that the Torrent Entertainment Network sale fell apart due to the FCC … Read more

Internet papa Vint Cerf said broadband speed limits rather than broadband data caps would be more useful in managing congested networks.

Cerf, who is Google's chief Internet evangelist, on Monday wrote a post on the company's public policy blog blasting the idea of applying data caps and metered rate plans. Instead he proposed a plan that limits network speeds.

His comments come just days after the Federal Communications Commission's symbolic ruling against Comcast for violating the agency's Net neutrality principles. The FCC came down hard on the cable operator for blocking access to peer-to-peer file-sharing protocols … Read more

If you build it, it appears they will come, eventually.

Such is the case with 64-bit computing. Advanced Micro Devices launched 64-bit chips for the desktop back in 2003, hoping the fact that it was there and didn't cost extra would convince consumers.

"Our industry, right now, is hungry for another round of innovation," AMD chief Hector Ruiz told the crowd at the San Francisco launch in September 2003. Not that hungry, apparently.

Of course, the hardware wasn't much use without a 64-bit operating system. After several fits and starts, Microsoft finally released a 64-bit version … Read more

Let me see if I've got this right. Federal regulators determined on Friday that Comcast broke the law by slowing Internet traffic for subscribers using BitTorrent to swap large files with other people. But then the FCC decided it was enough to issue a press release declaring the victory of the rule of law and now it's time to move on.

Not a penny in fines was assessed and not the slightest penalty suggested.

OK. Post-Enron, post-Bear Stearns, post the subprime debacle, I'm long past being surprised by big corporations trying to cover their posteriors for posterity. … Read more

The Federal Communications Commission came down hard on cable operator Comcast when it said its network management practices were illegal. But what will the FCC's move mean for the rest of the industry and the ongoing debate over Net neutrality?

It's still too early to say exactly what the long-term affect will be. Policy wonks from the phone companies say the decision puts to rest any notion that Net neutrality legislation is needed, but Net neutrality proponents believe that a legal challenge from Comcast will necessitate the need for laws that make it clear the federal government has … Read more

This is truly pathetic. A couple weeks ago, L.A. rock band BuckCherry issued a press release (since removed) complaining that their latest single had been leaked on BitTorrent. But a little clever research by TorrentFreak revealed that the leaker had only uploaded one track--this one--to BitTorrent, and had the same IP address as someone who'd edited the band's Wikipedia entry. When TorrentFreak e-mailed the band's manager to ask his opinion, lo and behold, the IP address matched.

Leaking a track is a valid way of getting promotional buzz for a new album. But complaining about it … Read more