Executive Vice President David L. Cohen was the star of the show, and he knew it. "It's a pleasure to be here as a participant and hopefully not the main course for your meal," Cohen told all five Commissioners and a lively audience during the event's first panel discussion, held at Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Comcast makes its case
"Now it's true," Cohen explained in his opening remarks, "that to maximize our customer's Internet experience we do manage our network. But don't let the rhetoric of some of the critics scare you. There's nothing wrong with network management. In fact, every broadband network is managed."

Of course that's not how other panelists and the events' many net neutrality supporters at Harvard Law's Ames Courtroom saw it, particularly Cohen's fellow panelist Marvin Ammori, General Counsel for Free Press. "This hearing is not about some technical details of managing networks," Ammori began, "it's about the future of online television and about the future of the Internet. The facts aren't even disputed. Comcast is deliberately targeting and interfering with legal peer-to-peer technology, like BitTorrent and others."

After both Ammori, Cohen, and five other panelists finished their presentations, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein pressed Cohen for an outline of the cable giants' network policies. Is Comcast delaying or blocking P2P use? Adelstein asked.

"I'm going to say again," Cohen asserted, "on the record in front of this Commission, Comcast does not block any Web site, application, or Web protocol, including peer to peer services. Period. Doesn't happen."

See the complete text at: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080225-comcast-and-net-neutrality-advocates-clash-at-fcc-hearing.html