Big ISPs push P4P as Substitute for Network Neutrality

[Commentary] In their latest filings with the Federal Communications Commission, AT&T and Comcast argue that new breakthroughs in "P4P" network management lessen or eliminate the need for the agency to enact stronger net neutrality rules. P4P stands for Proactive network Provider Participation for P2P, a system of support for peer to peer protocols that allows tracking devices to communicate with network management systems about P2P flow. The objective, as four University of Washington and Yale scholars recently concluded in a paper on P4P, is to encourage "a more effective cooperative traffic control between applications and network providers." In short, the technology helps file-sharers pick each other in ways that contribute to a more efficient network. AT&T and Comcast's remarks indicate that P4P technology has already become politicized.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080410-big-isps-push-p4p-as-subst...