Net firms reach deal to avoid new blackout | CNET News.com: "A dispute between major Internet backbone companies that wound up blacking out portions of the Net for thousands of people earlier this month has been settled for now, preventing new blackouts next month. Network companies Cogent Communications and Level 3 Communications said Friday that they made a new agreement to exchange traffic between their customers. Previously, they had said a temporary agreement would expire on Nov. 9, which could have led to more Net problems. Both sides said they were satisfied with the new agreement, which includes a provision that customers must be notified before any future interruption in service. 'I think that what ultimately caused this resolution was that there were customers putting pressure on the party that initiated that' interruption, said Cogent Chief Executive Officer Dave Schaeffer. 'Hopefully others will think long and hard before doing anything like this again.'"

(Via CNet.)