In the wake of the discovery that Comcast is blocking some peer-to-peer traffic (and even blocking some Lotus Notes e-mails), the company is attempting to keep the PR machine well-oiled by giving customer tech support reps some talking points. And if they deviate from the script and admit that Comcast has been using Sandvine to send forged TCP reset packets, they're likely to lose their jobs.

Ars has heard from multiple Comcast employees since the story broke, and they're all telling us the same thing. They're supposed to tell customers asking whether Comcast limits access to BitTorrent that the ISP doesn't block access to any application, including BitTorrent. Furthermore, tech support workers are supposed to toe the party line at all times, or they'll be fired. "Management informed anyone that discussed this issue with any customer or press associate that it would lead to termination," an internal tier 2 tech support worker told Ars on the condition of anonymity.

One of the e-mails we saw came from the Manager/IP Support of one of Comcast's regional call centers. "If a customer contacts us to inquire about this, please use the following talking points," reads the e-mail.

"Comcast does not block access to any applications, including BitTorrent," the e-mail continues. "We respect our customers' privacy and we don't monitor specific customer activities on the Internet or track individual online behavior, such as which web sites they visit. Therefore, we do not know whether any individual user is visiting BitTorrent or any other site."

The e-mail continues along that vein, covering the same ground that Comcast spokespeople have used in their dealings with the media. "We have a responsibility to provide all of our customers with a good experience online and we use the latest technologies to manage our network," reads the e-mail. "This is standard practice for ISPs and network operators all over the world."

Another Comcast employee confirmed to Ars that the ISP does use Sandvine to shape traffic. "I believe they implemented Sandvine to conserve bandwidth for many reasons," the employee told Ars on the condition of anonymity. "Number one, to improve the integrity of the network for Comcast Digital Voice call quality and for more HD channels. The second reason is to conserve bandwidth from data providers (Cogent, Level3, and AT&T) and basically to save money."

A number of studies have attempted to quantify the amount of P2P traffic flying across the networks of residential ISPs. A German traffic management firm thinks P2P traffic accounts for anywhere between 50 and 90 percent of all traffic on the Internet. Ellacoya, a player in the deep packet inspection arena, thinks the figure is closer to 37 percent. The numbers may vary, but the consensus is clear: P2P traffic is heavy.

Publicly, all Comcast has admitted to is "delaying" P2P traffic, meaning that the packets are held up for awhile if the ISP believes it is necessary. But Comcast users' experiences with Comcast's traffic shaping is sometimes at odds with what the company is telling them. The internal e-mails Ars has seen and our conversations with Comcast employees paint a picture of a company that is trying to hide the true extent of its activities. Or, as one employee told us, "They did it because they think they can get away with it."

Now that talking points are being distributed, the question around the support center is, "Why else would they go through with all this if they didn't have anything to hide?"