Comcast Hit With Another Throttling LawsuitThis time starring the individual who first discovered it...
(
old news - 02:23PM Friday Jul 25 2008)
tags: legal · business · cable · ComcastIn May of last year, Broadband Reports user Robb Topolski
posted in our forums that Comcast appeared to be forging TCP packets in order to throttle upstream P2P traffic for
all users, regardless of consumption. That finding ultimately led to a wave of press coverage, an FCC investigation, and forced (or will by the end of 2008) Comcast to embrace a more transparent way of managing their network (most likely
250GB caps and very
targeted throttling). Topolski has since gone on to work with consumer advocacy organizations
Free Press and
Public Knowledge, and this week is the leading plaintiff in a
new class action lawsuit against Comcast:
Topolski, asked via e-mail how much he believes Comcast owes him, replied that the question is "tremendously complicated." "This involves more than just Robb Topolski and how he was impacted," Topolski wrote. "It involves a very large group of people, it spans quite a bit of time on an expensive service, and it involves deception. So the lawyers are going to have to figure out how to explain this to the courts and the process ahead has to decide the amount."
The FCC is expected to vote in early August on whether Comcast is guilty of misleading consumers, and how they should be punished. FCC boss Kevin Martin has
already stated he believes the company is guilty, but should be "sanctioned" with no fine.