January 20, 2009

FCC looks into Comcast’s VOIP management

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is investigating Comcast over concerns its network managing practices downgrade some service quality.

In a letter Saturday, the FCC asked Comcast to justify disparate treatment of its own voice over Internet protocol services compared with that offered by other VOIP providers on its network, eWeek reported Tuesday.

Comcast has said its new policies slow network traffic during periods of heavy use, as the congestion could make VOIP call sounds choppy.

But, critically, (Comcast) draws no distinction between Comcast's VOIP offering and those offered by its competitors, the FCC letter said.

It would appear the fee Comcast assesses its customers for VOIP pays in part for the privileged transmission of information of the customer's choosing across Comcast's network, the letter said.

The letter asks for a response by Jan 30.

We have fully complied with the FCC's order regarding our congestion management practices. We are reviewing the FCC staff's letter, a company spokesman said.