Last week marked the close of the public comment period in the Federal Communications Commission’s investigation of broadband network management practices triggered by revelations last year that Comcast has been interfering with BitTorrent traffic on its high-speed Internet service.

In an 80-page filing with the commission, Comcast argues that its “throttling” of bandwidth-intensive applications during periods of peak demand is necessary in order to maintain a high quality of service for the majority of its users. Given the realities of finite capacity and shared networks, Comcast insists, network operators have no choice but try to balance the needs of all their users.

Read the full column at ContentAgenda.com.