• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, February 4, 2009

Online video company Vuze is joining Free Press in calling for the Federal Communications Commission to take a close look at Cox's new plan to manage traffic.

"We're watching with growing concern recent announcements by Cox Cable that they'll be taking steps to classify different types of Internet traffic as 'time-sensitive' and 'non-time-sensitive,' and may 'delay' certain traffic deemed to be 'non-time-sensitive,'" General Counsel Jay Monahan wrote on Vuze's blog.

Cox recently said it would test a plan to manage congestion by treating traffic differently, depending on whether it's time-sensitive. The company will prioritize the time-sensitive traffic--including email, instant messaging, games and Web site visits--while occasionally slowing down other traffic, including peer-to-peer traffic.

The news drew sharp criticism from net neutrality advocates, who say that Cox shouldn't discriminate between lawful applications.

Vuze relies on peer-to-peer technology to transmit video, which means its content could be downgraded under Cox's blueprint. "When you're downloading Vuze content using Vuze, whether it's a PBS documentary, the latest episode of "Pink" or some great user published content, it will automatically be classified as 'non-time-sensitive,' and thus may be subject to delay at Cox's sole discretion," Monahan wrote. "Suffice it to say, our 10 million users who access over a petabyte of Vuze HD Network content every month care about 'delay' of their content."

Vuze complained to the FCC last year about Comcast, which also slowed peer-to-peer traffic as part of a congestion management plan. While under investigation, Comcast said it would move to a protocol-agnostic traffic-shaping system. The FCC in August voted 3-2 to sanction Comcast for having violated net neutrality principles by singling out peer-to-peer traffic.