AT&T Makes Wireless P2P Forbidden

AT&T continues its firm anti-file sharing position and bans wireless phone customers from using peer-to-peer programs. Those who will be discovered to be involved in such activities as file sharing risk having their service terminated, the company announced via an FCC official on Friday.

"AT&T's terms of service for mobile wireless broadband customers prohibit all uses that may cause extreme network capacity issues, and explicitly identify P2P file sharing applications as such a use," declared Robert Quinn, AT&T's senior vice president of federal regulatory affairs.

Quinn went on explaining that his company is not guilty of using "network management tools to block the use of P2P applications by its mobile wireless broadband customers."

AT&T justified its banning of file sharing applications pretty much in the same way Comcast motivated its managing of peer-to-peer traffic.

"A small number of users of P2P file sharing applications served by a particular cell site could severely degrade the service quality enjoyed by all customers … " Quinn added.

FCC chairman Kevin Martin express his wish that the FCC should order Comcast to stop its practice that hurts P2P traffic and assume a fair stand by reporting requirements in order to ease up the agency's verification of conformity. He also said that he doesn't target Comcast as far as financial penalties are concerned.

There are some many those who eagerly expect the FCC's vote against Comcast Corp. regarding the practice towards P2P Internet traffic which violates FCC policy established back in August 2005.