Comcast to partner with Pando on file sharing

By Yinka Adegoke

NEW YORK, April 15 (Reuters) - Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O), the top U.S. cable operator, said on Tuesday it will partner with a second file-sharing company as it tries to avoid a regulatory backlash over its controversial management of Internet traffic on its broadband network.

Comcast and Pando Networks Inc, a two-year start-up, said they will test the use of Pando's proprietary peer-to-peer technology on the Comcast network and help create a 'bill of rights' for consumers and Internet service providers.

Pando will also conduct tests on a variety of other ISP networks, including cable, DSL, fiber and wireless to measure performance, speed and bandwidth consumption impact on the ISP.

Comcast, Pando and an industry joint working group called P4P, plan to publish the results of the tests so other ISPs can benefit from a better understanding of how P2P applications work on their networks.

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