Cable provider Comcast have looked to jam users seeking bittorrent content as they apparently use up network capacity "like a glutton at an all-you-can-eat buffet." The record labels and copyright holders have long put pressure on service providers to find ways to block or shut out illegal content. Personally I would say it's not in any ISPs best interest to do so. Customers will simply move ISPs to a provider that doesn't block content such as peer to peer technology and bittorrent files. AT&T meanwhile have claimed they'll provide free internet, but they'll filter it.

A problem in any attempt to block file-sharing technology is you'll also end up blocking actual legal uses of such software, as it may be impossible to detect what's legal or not simply by examining bytes of data flowing through a cable or telephone line. The music industry thankfully is also looking at alternative ideas to combat illegal downloading, by making legal alternatives more attractive. I've long thought album bundles on sites such as ITunes should be far cheaper than they currently are. That applies to Amazon's recently launched MP3 service too, actually. If a physical CD at a much higher audio quality is £9.99, why not offer the download at £5.99 at say, 160kbps ( the rate Radiohead used for 'In Rainbows ) which isn't CD Quality, more like FM Radio quality. That provides customer choice and also gives an incentive for music fans to download an entire album by an artist rather than a random selection of tracks. At the moment, legal downloading on a service such as ITunes has merely replaced single-sales on physical formats. Currently, it seems no one is really pushing online album sales. I don't want to see the album format die out, because many of musics greatest moments are consistently found outside of the top 40.

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