Comcast to Slow Internet Service at Times to Its Heaviest Users

Comcast, with over 14 million Internet customers, plans to slow its high-speed Internet service to its heaviest users during periods of congestion after the Federal Communications Commission ordered the company to devise a new method for managing its Web traffic. Top Internet speeds for the heaviest users will be reduced for 10 to 20 minutes to keep service to other users flowing. A heavy Comcast Web user being impeded would have Internet speeds equivalent to "a really good DSL experience." After a slowdown ended, Comcast would return Internet service to normal. Comcast, which calls the new system fair share, will fine-tune it further before introducing it. In trials, Comcast has found the fair-share system to be effective if the slowing lasted for "roughly between, probably, 10 and 20 minutes,"