Live BitTorrent Streaming Gains in Popularity [Broadband Reports]
While the bandwidth demand for widespread use of streaming P2P applications currently outstrips the amount available to most home users, the technology is a hot area for P2P innovators. According to this article, several European countries are working on a BitTorrent streaming project that they hope will revolutionize TV delivery. And, a company named EZTV has launched a beta test of a player application that will play BitTorrent streams?
This isn't going to replace cable TV anytime soon, but it's interesting to see what's happening on the cutting edge of TV innovation.
Late last Friday, the FCC confirmed that the commission will be voting this Friday on sanctioning Comcast for network management practices that affected some P2P uploads. According to Multichannel News, the FCC is expected to find that Comcast violated a set of the agency's net neutrality principles with their network management system.
But, according to Broadband Politics, the very application that Comcast is accused of unfairly managing has aligned itself with unapologetic software and media piracy sites.
We have a curious outcome where the FCC is ordering carriers to provide free bandwidth to pirates.
And yet, net neutrality activists will claim this as a major victory for the First Amendment. Ironic, isn't it?
Regulate first, ask questions later [Broadband Politics]
Martin Tees Up Comcast P2P Vote [Multichannel News]
In other news
Mark Cuban on tru2way: Open It Up [The Baumninator]
Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and co-founder and chairman of HDNet, comments to the Bauminator on the tru2way standard, the new interactive delivery method for cable TV. Cuban believes that applications written for tru2way devices are too "walled garden" and not open enough - meaning that cable operators and programmers have too much control over a subscriber's tru2way experience and that subscribers ought to be able to have access to any tru2way application, not just the ones made available to them.
It's a short article, but the Bauminator says they'll have more details on Cuban's comments soon.
Web Toolbars: The Future of Political Fundraising? [IP Democracy]
Want to make a contribution to your favorite political party? With specially licensed web toolbars, you won't have to open your checkbook, just download and use a party-specific toolbar for your web searches. These licensed web toolbars have been used by charitable organizations for some time now, and now they're being used by at least one of the national political parties.
As this article describes, Yahoo pays a small amount for each search using the toolbar to the political party. In aggregate, if thousands of people use the toolbar for millions of searches, the total amount paid by Yahoo could be millions of dollars. Quite simply, this technology could revolutionize the way political parties fund themselves.
MSO of the Year: Insight Communications [Cable360.net]
And now for a bit of self-promotion. Cable360.net and CableFax have named Insight Communications as the multiple system operator (MSO) of the year. I am honored to have received this recognition but the credit goes to the 2,000 dedicated men and women who work at Insight in the districts, central operations, call centers, Insight Interactive, and at the home office.
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