On Wednesday, January 13, we will be hosting a complimentary NetEqualizer Seminar at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. PLU, which is the home of over 3,000 students, has been a NetEqualizer user since 2008 and will provide for a first-hand look at the technology's capabilities.

We'll cover:

• The various tradeoffs regarding how to stem p2p and bandwidth abuseRecommendations for curbing RIAA requestsDemo of the new NetEqualizer network access control module
• Lots of customer Q&A and information sharing on how Pacific Lutheran University is using the NetEqualizer, including some hands-on probing of a live system

When: Wednesday, January 13, 10 a.m. to noon Where: Pacific Lutheran University
12180 Park Ave.
Tacoma, WA (Contact us at admin@apconnections.net for specific building and room number)
This technical user group, which in addition to our hosts includes invitees and NetEqualizer customers such as Everett Community College, the University of Puget Sound, and Northwest University, will be a great opportunity for current users and interested potential customers to learn more about the issues and challenges facing network administrators while also seeing the NetEqualizer in action. Furthermore, the seminar will feature the input of Pacific Lutheran University students who will give first-hand accounts of the NetEqualizer end-user experience. For years, NetEqualizer has been a leader in network optimization technology that meets the needs of administrators, but also prioritizes the experience and privacy of Internet users.

If that wasn't enough, we'll be giving away great door prizes to attendees. So, if you're in the area, be sure not to miss this seminar! For more information, contact us at admin@apconnections.net.

First, we'd like to welcome Sandy McGregor to the APconnections team. Sandy joined us last month as our new marketing director and brings an MBA in management information systems from SUNY-Albany to the company. Welcome Sandy!

Secondly, as one of her first projects, Sandy will be contacting select customers in an effort to improve the quality of our products and better shape future NetEqualizer releases. So, if you hear from Sandy over the next few weeks, give her a few minutes of your time and help us continue the constant evolution and improvement of the NetEqualizer line.

Sandy can be contacted directly at sandy@apconnections.net.

We're now offering a new URL-shaping beta that can be run on NetEqualizer versions 4.0 and higher. Although this is not yet a fully supported feature, it is a very useful utility for anyone looking to put the breaks on YouTube (We tested with YouTube and will be adding others).

Some unique features of the new utility include:

1. Provides the tools so you can automatically learn and capture the IP address ranges of the URL's you wish to shapeNo ongoing licensing or upgrade fees
2. Does not use any invasive Deep Packet Inspection (DPI)

For details on how to implement and use the utility, visit our blog.

Note: While support for the utility is NOT currently included with your NetEqualizer, we will assist any customers with a current Network Software Subscription for up to one hour. For additional support, consulting fees may apply.

Comcast recently settled a class action suit in the state of Pennsylvania regarding its practice of selectively blocking of P2P. So far, the first case was settled for 16 million dollars with more cases on the docket yet to come. To recap, Comcast and other large ISPs invested in technology to thwart P2P, denied involvement when first accused, got spanked by the FCC, and now Comcast is looking to settle various class action suits.

When Comcast's practices were established, P2P usage was sky-rocketing with no end in sight and the need to block some of it was required in order to preserve reasonable speeds for all users. Given that there was no specific law or ruling on the book, it seemed like mucking with P2P to alleviate gridlock was a rational business decision. This decision made even more sense considering that DSL providers were stealing disgruntled customers. With this said, Comcast wasn't alone in the practice - all of the larger providers were doing it, throttling P2P to some extent to ensure good response times for all of their customers.

Yet, with the lawsuits mounting, it appears on face value that things backfired a bit for Comcast. Or did they?

To keep reading, click here.