According to an announcement scheduled to be released today, Comcast says it will stop targeting BitTorrent on the Internet. Seeking to defuse tensions in a government investigation, the internet provider says it will halt its practice of interfering only with BitTorrent file-sharing programs when the Internet congests and slows speeds for everyone. In addition, Comcast has promisedto boost broadband capacity to make it easier to transmit online video and other rich media.
As part of the agreement, BitTorrent Inc., based in San Francisco, will make its free software more efficient and will make sure software developers learn of those efficiencies. Comcast and BitTorrent, which have clashed publicly for months, are expected to announce the collaborative agreement today. The Comcast-BitTorrent dispute has been a cause celebre among Internet advocacy groups and others who called for greater regulation for an open Internet, citing Comcast.