Network interference

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission is poised to slap the corporate wrist of Comcast, the nation's leading cable operator and second-largest broadband provider, for interfering surreptitiously and deceptively with its customers' use of BitTorrent, a popular program for sharing files online. It makes sense to manage heavy users by making them pay more for their outsized appetites for data, possibly by selling bandwidth in tiers. Such a broad and neutral approach wouldn't run afoul of the FCC. Granted, DSL and cable-modem providers have so little competition today that they might set unreasonably low bandwidth limits in order to collect ample fees for excess usage. That risk will fade, however, as more wireless companies enter the broadband market. And it's a less frightening prospect than having Internet providers secretly play favorites among applications.