Kevin Martin is raining on Comcast's CES parade.
On the same day Comcast CEO Brian Roberts gave the first ever CES keynote by a cable chief (with the Flight of the Conchords in tow, no less), the FCC chairman said at a separate CES panel that the commission would be investigating whether Comcast was involved in data discrimination.
"Sure, we're going to investigate and make sure that no consumer is going to be blocked," Martin was quoted as saying.
In October, AP conducted a test that it said proved Comcast was blocking access to peer-to-peer networks; an experiment that was later replicated and confirmed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). Comcast accused AP and EFF of using too narrow a focus with its tests. The cable provider admitted to "delaying" certain P2P traffic, but denied that it was blocking access to any content.
Two months ago, the SavetheInternet.com coalition and several academics filed a complaint with the FCC calling on the commission to stop Comcast from violating customer rights.
A source within the FCC confirmed that the quote from Martin was accurate, but said that the FCC did not make any official announcement today about its plans regarding the Comcast complaint.
"We believe our practices are in accordance with the FCC's policy statement on the Internet," David L. Cohen, executive vice presiden for Comcast, said in a statement. "Comcast plans to work with the Commission in its desire to bring more transparency for consumers regarding broadband network management."
The interest groups who filed the complaint were predictably pleased.
"We hope the Chairman's statements, made two months after we filed our complaint, will lead to immediate and accelerated action at the FCC on the critical issue of whether Comcast, AT
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