New York - A group of consumer advocates and Internet law scholars this week asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to step in and prevent the nation's second-largest broadband provider, Comcast (NASD: CMCSA), from interfering with file-sharing activities by some of its subscribers, the Associated Press reported.

The AP reported last month that Comcast is actively constraining some of the file-sharing activities of its subscribers who use BitTorrent.

Consumer groups argue that Comcast's actions are an example of the need for "Net Neutrality," wherein ISPs would not be allowed to give preferential treatment to one kind of Internet traffic over another.

Parties to the FCC petition include the Consumer Federation of America; Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports; Media Access Project; Free Press; Public Knowledge; and Internet law professors at Harvard, Stanford and Yale.

Separately, Free Press and Public Knowledge have additionally filed a complaint with the FCC, seeking a forfeiture from Comcast of $195,000 for each subscriber affected by its actions.

Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/24oynj (AP)

http://www.freepress.net/docs/fp_et_al_nn_declaratory_ruling.pdf