From Save The Internet:

A Comcast subscriber has filed a lawsuit against the nation’s largest ISP for blocking peer-to-peer file sharing programs such as BitTorrent. The lawsuit charges Comcast with unfair business practices and seeks class action status — which could mean compensation to California customers.

This complaint comes on the heels of a petition filed by SavetheInternet.com asking the Federal Communications Commission to stop Comcast from such actions because they violate Net Neutrality.

The San Francisco Bay Area subscriber, Jon Hart, charges that Comcast markets its high-speed service “based on claims of ‘lightning fast’ and ‘mind-blowing’ speeds [and promises] ‘unfettered access to all the internet has to offer.’ Nevertheless, [Comcast companies] intentionally and severely impede the use of certain internet applications by their customers…” Hart has built his case around deceptive practices by the cable giant.

View the full post here or view the lawsuit here (PDF).

As great as it is that somebody is taking action like this, I’m a little worried. It is true that the restriction by ISPs of P2P applications like Bittorrent falls under the issue of Net Neutrality, but I suspect it will be really easy for Comcast to fight these battles, simply because P2P file sharing is such a gray area. It’s hard to make much of an argument when the other side merely has to point out that you were doing something “illegal”. Nevertheless, Comcast is surely feeling the heat at this point.

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