Comcast titles new network micro management policy “P2P Bill of Rights”

This is comic relief at it’s best. The suits at Comcast have worked up a new clown suit to put around a new batch of network management policies that sound both ambiguous and theatening at the same time.

“We’re going to formally create a DCIA working group and it will be open to any peer-to-peer technology provider, any ISP, and any content owner or representative,” Pando CEO Robert Levitan told us. “And at some point, we’re all going to sit down and say ‘OK. What can we agree are good principles for peer-to-peer applications?’ And companies will be able to stand up and say ‘We adhere to these.’

“You don’t want peer-to-peer technology providers who aren’t playing nicely with consumers. And that goes for content owners and ISPs too,” he continued. “We want to ask questions like: Does an ISP block peer-to-peer just because its peer-to-peer? Or are there ISPs who are willing to say ‘We’re not going to block P2P if we know it’s good P2P’?”

Levitan and Lafferty also plan to include longtime P2P opponents like the Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Ass. of America (RIAA). According to Lafferty, the MPAA has already approached him about the project and will be represented at Monday’s meeting.

And to balance things out, the DCIA may invite public advocates like Free Press, one of the organizations that encouraged the FCC to probe Comcast’s BitTorrent busting. “We want to get the voice of the consumer in this as well,” Lafferty said. “After all, we’re couching this a bill of rights and responsibilities, and the end user is really critical.”(The Register)

It’s kind of like saying: “Dear customer, we’ve formed a committee to determine if the P2P file you want download or share is acceptable. The committee will be comprised of all interested parties other than yourself. We will decide what is good for you and what you will be allowed to do. We realize that this policy may prevent you from accessing intellectual property that you have a right to download or share. As always you are welcome to try to obtain service elsewhere. We realize that many of you have no other option and that’s just fine with us. You see that’s why we can get away with doing this”.

We really need an open Third Pipe so these guys can go blissfully out of business.