Comcast Speeding Up Network, Slowing Down Heavy Users

Comcast has said that by the end of this year 20 percent of its markets will have 100 Mbps Internet service, with that speed available to most customers by early 2010. At the same time, the company is testing a scheme whereby heavy users would have their bandwidth restricted during peak hours.According to senior vice president of investor relations Marlene Dooner, Comcast will be rolling out its Docsis 3.0 wideband technology at a rate that will deliver 100 Mbps service to 20 percent of its markets in 2008, with most customers served by early 2010. Dooner called the speed was "very competitive" with Verizon's fiber-optic Internet service.

The cable and Internet giant is also testing a new approach to traffic management in three markets. Instead of its much-criticized throttling of particular applications, the company will target specific heavy users. Comcast claims only a few users slow that enetwork down for everyone else, and that most users won't notice the new management scheme. "When we roll this out nationally by the end of the year, all those types of questions will be answered," said Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas. "We are trying to figure out what do customers want, what techniques need to be in place to create the best user experience."Associated Press, eWeek