I was downloading the newest release of Ubuntu Server for a personal project I’m working on. After 15 minutes, I had the first 35 MB of the file. I guess the Ubuntu distribution servers were under load or they operate under a 35k/s cap – either way, it was slow going. I fired up a BitTorrent client, and within 60 seconds, 40 MB had downloaded. 10 minutes later, %65 of the file was downloaded. There is something undeniable about how magical BitTorrent is for pulling large, popular files down quickly.

Which is why the inevitable ban on the BitTorrent protocol isn’t going to be fun. Obama and the Democrats can say they are all for network neutrality, but they get large campaign contributions from Hollywood, and have staffed the FCC with Hollywood lawyers and lobbyists. These are men who think Technology is teh debil, and have tried to block things like the VCR for fear of their business model. They have already filed court briefs supporting massive fines for people caught sharing music. Even worse, an apparent loophole in the network neutrality framework has been found, which would allow Comcast (or any ISP) to perform “reasonable network management” intended to “prevent the unlawful transfer of content.” That combined with the recent finding that %99 of torrented files are not shared with the rightsholder’s permission, and that BitTorrent opens a lot of network connections to do it’s magic, means that the FCC will likely turn a blind eye when BitTorrent is made to disappear from US networks.