• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, January 9, 2008

The Federal Communications Commission will probe complaints that Comcast Corp. interferes with traffic to file-sharing sites as well as allegations that wireless companies prevent some groups from sending text messages to consumers, Chairman Kevin Martin said Tuesday.

"Sure, we're going to investigate and make sure that no consumer is going to be blocked," Martin said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, according to The Associated Press.

Net neutrality advocates said the move was a good sign.

"We are encouraged by the Chairman's statements today about investigating Comcast's blocking of peer-to-peer traffic," media reform group Free Press said in a statement. "The FCC must stop these would-be gatekeepers and fine companies that censor the free flow of information."

The advocacy group Public Knowledge also cheered the news. "Public Knowledge is pleased to see that the Chairman and the Commission are willing to stand by their principles to protect American consumers," the organization said in a statement. "We look forward to FCC proceedings that will determine what are legitimate uses of power by telecom companies, and which are not."

Last October, an investigation by the AP revealed that Comcast was impeding traffic to BitTorrent and other peer-to-peer sites where users download and upload videos. The digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation subsequently confirmed the AP's report.

Comcast responded by saying it didn't block any traffic, but admitted it sometimes slowed down traffic to such bandwidth-intensive sites in an attempt to manage its network.

Verizon Wireless also refused to allow the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America to send text messages to its supporters. After an article about the issue appeared in The New York Times, the company reversed course. Verizon Wireless also refused to allow at least one competitor to send text messages to its subscribers.

Comcast's interference with traffic prompted a coalition of groups, including Free Press and Public Knowledge, to file an FCC complaint in November. California resident Jon Hart also filed a putative class-action lawsuit against the company, charging that Comcast interfered with his attempts to visit peer-to-peer sites after he upgraded to ultra-high-speed Internet access plan specifically to access such sites.