on the beat

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To opt-out from the settlement, simply write "I want to opt-out of the settlement" along with your name and address and mail it by May 13th to: P2P Congestion Settlement Claims Administrator; c/o Rust Consulting; P.O. Box 9454; Minneapolis, MN 55440-9454. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Topolski urges Comcast Customers to Opt-Out of the P2P Congestion Settlement http://funchords.livejournal.com/432415.html 15 April 2010 @ 10:06 am Dear Fellow Netizens, Im writing to urge Comcast subscribers to opt-out of the proposed P2P Congestion Settlement between Comcast Corporation and its customers (http://p2pcongestionsettlement.com/). There are huge problems with the deal, but it only takes you a minute to reject it. For 2½ years, Comcast secretly attacked its own customers communications by blocking peer-to-peer uploads and other traffic. By secretly blocking traffic and hoping that you wouldnt notice, Comcast took back some of the service that you paid for. Rather than adding capacity as demand increased, Comcast dropped some of your traffic to make room for its very profitable new phone service and millions of new customers. Then Comcast got caught. Comcast noisily distracted and obfuscated while the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held a long investigation. Comcast ultimately got its wrist slapped. It was forced to disclose and forever stop the unlawful interference. But, in a twist, Comcast fought the law and the law lost; Comcast just beat the FCC in appeals court. Turns out that there is no cop on the beat to prevent Comcast, or any other ISP, from again blocking you from the content, applications, or services of your choice! Customers did sue Comcast, and a class-action settlement is being offered. If the settlement prevails, you will get a maximum of $16 -- but only if you certify to being a file-sharer! Comcast has set-aside $16 million, but stands to lose a lot less unless a million file-sharers actually register at that settlement website! Thats right: this deal is structured so that Comcast benefits if enough people dont register for their $16! Here are some more important reasons to reject the deal: * You paid about $50 a month for the service, and the amount that Comcast stands to return is up to about 50¢ per month for each month that it blocked traffic -- just 1 cent on the dollar! That doesnt begin to compensate for the value of the service that Comcast secretly took back. * If that tiny amount of money is compensation, then there is no penalty to Comcast for interfering with its customers, for failing to disclose it, for repeatedly lying about it, and for taking so long to stop it! * The settlement was reached under the assumption that the FCC would still oversee Comcast. With Comcasts victory over the FCC's authority, there is nothing to stop Comcast or any other ISP from again interfering with your Internet communications. I hope youll agree that this is a bad deal for everyone. Everyone, that is, except for Comcast! The settlement fails to adequately take care of both the past and the future. Fortunately, there is something that you can do about it! ACTION REQUIRED - IMPORTANT: To opt-out from the settlement, simply write "I want to opt-out of the settlement" along with your name and address and mail it by May 13th to: P2P Congestion Settlement Claims Administrator; c/o Rust Consulting; P.O. Box 9454; Minneapolis, MN 55440-9454. Ask your friends to please do the same. If we want a meaningful settlement in this case and open Internet in our future, it's important to spread the word and send a strong message to Comcast and the industry. Sincerely, Robb Topolski