Bell crimps P2P file-sharing during peak hours

Bell Canada is slowing down access on its Sympatico internet servers for users who file share during prime timeto prevent them from clogging the network, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Bell began the process, which it calls managing the bandwidth capacity but which is widely known as "throttling," on March 14. The companyplans to have it rolled out across the Sympatico service area Quebec and Ontario by April 7, spokesmanJason Laszlo said.

Itwill bein effect during the peak period for internet use in late afternoon and the evening, he said. For people sharing files, the system "will simply not work as fast." But other users will not be delayed.

Bell, like other internet service providers, says ithas capacity problems caused by peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing systems such as BitTorrent,which can be used to download movies, music and games. "We're certainly not unique in this,"Laszlo said, adding that other service providers aremanaging P2P downloads.

P2Pprogramsare onlyemployed by a small percentage of internet users, but they tend to make use of all the available bandwidth, Laszlo said. Reduced P2P useshouldprovide a better balance between P2P and other users at peak times, he said.

"I feel we're on the side of good," he said.

However Rocky Gaudrault,CEO ofinternet serviceproviderTeksavvy, said Bell's move "may hinder a lot of legitimate downloading."

Bell has not officially announced the throttling initiative, but Gaudrault found out about it last week and saidBell confirmed the move in a meeting he attendedTuesday.

People watching the impact of Bell'snew policyhave begunto chartaffected areas on aGoogle map, and University of Ottawa law professor and web commentator Michael Geist raisedthe matterin his blog.

Gaudrault said there could be privacy issues related to the throttling of specific types of internet traffic, but Laszlo denied that. "At no time do we monitor the content," he said.