This settlement is bullshoot.
I agree w/ the comment that companies don't settle entirely unfounded suits. I looked at the actual settlement agreement, and the agreement itself actually admits that RCN had "net management practices" and "P2P net management practices" that they stopped in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Of course they "vigorously deny" all wrongdoing (every settlement says that), but why do they then admit later in the agreement that they did in fact have those practices? The answer shows how bullshoot this settlement really is.
The answer seems evident from other parts of the document. In the agreement, RCN agrees to cease its network management practices for 18 months. Logically, it can only cease such practices if it was undertaking them in the first place. Thus, you have to imply from this that RCN was once secretly throttling down its service.
The settlement is BS because RCN actually admits wrongdoing, yet how are their customers compensated? By being told to stop acting bad for 18 months! After 18 months, it's a-ok for RCN to go back to their shady ways, in fact the agreement actually condones it! wtf!
As if that wasn't bad enough, under the agreement the 18 month clock begins running when RCN claims it stopped undertaking the practice in 2008 for non-P2P traffic and in May 2009 for P2P traffic. The clock on non-P2P traffic has already run, so RCN is free to go back to doing that as soon as this settlement is entered next month! The 18 month ban on network management for P2P traffic will expire in November of this year.
Aside from this brief cessation in network management for P2P, the consumers get absolutely nothing in the settlement- nothing to compensate for the alleged 7 YEARS that RCN was doing this! For 7 years of shady behavior, RCN has to stop until November. Something is wrong with that.
The final piece in this shady puzzle: the attorneys for the consumers -- our supposed "champions" -- are awarded over *$500,000* in fees for obtaining this wonderful result for the consumers. In short, if you like me are an RCN customer, you are getting a 6 month reprieve from RCN shadiness and our lawyers are getting half a mil. Tell me there's not something wrong with that.
Sorry for the long post, but it had to be said. Take a look at the agreement posted here:
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www.rcn.com/boston/image ··· ment.pdf