Robb Topolski, a former Intel network products engineer, who was blocked by Comcast from using BitTorrent and other file-sharing sites has waded into the argument about net-neutrality. Topolski is the bloke who got Comcast into trouble when he moaned about the telco throttling his BitTorrent traffic. While the FCC's decision to force Comcast to stop its throttling antics were stopped by a recent court appeal, Topolski has warned that there could be dark days ahead.

Topolski was interested because of peer-to-peer's potential value including, ironically, as a tool to limit network congestion. He used barbershop-quartet recordings and sheet music, all in the public domain. Then he set up his computer, capping his upload speeds to limit network demand, and watched as a slow but steady stream of fellow aficionados downloaded his songs. All went smoothly until Topolski shut down his file sharing as his health worsened. When he was feeling better in 2007 his uploads all failed. Comcast lied to him about not interfering with peer-to-peer uploads or interfere with connectivity in any way. However it later changed its mind. He set up a VPN outside Comcast's reach, and found his uploads went like the clappers.

Topolski, now chief technologist for the New America Foundation, a Washington advocacy group, says his experience illustrates that the cable and phone companies that control most access to the broadband Internet have the means and motive to do things many consumers would reject - if they knew about them. He said that clear and enforceable net-neutrality rules are crucial because of the financial incentives against neutrality.