Comcast Changes TOS In Response To Traffic Shaping Firestorm → Re: IMHO..

Comcast has always said they use reasonable network management practices and has never said that their service is unlimited.

What they did deny is that they don't block access to any sites. And, they don't.

As for what I do or don't respond to..that is my business.
I believe that my opinion however is shared by the vast majority of comcast users..at least those who's posts I have read. It is the very small..bandwidth hogging..expects everyone else to foot their bill for them..wants everything for nothing crowd..who seems to oppose me however.

And, I guess that's just too bad.

They USED to advertise their service as unlimited.

But they still primarily advertise it as a big fat pipe where you can download all the music and video you can think of faster than you can think of the titles to look for. Same thing.

That's funny because every single person I have talked to can't wait to dump Comcast. And it's not just for blocking torrents
Anyone who has seen my OTA HDTV has asked me how they can set it up so they can stop paying a greedy company who lies to their customers.

Around here they advertise themselves as "enlightenment", what ever the farq thats supposed to mean.

I'm just up the Tri-State from you so we get the same commercials. I laugh when I see those...I guess they ran out of "highspeed".

yes they have implied unlimited emails and downoading and enjoying the high speed broadband experience. they still run the dam commercials..

Not as funny as the craptasic ads. Comcast is so bad that Comcastic is a derogatory term nowadays.

Yeah I knew that, was mentioning for the out-of-towners.

Comcast #1 with Buddhist Monks!

BUT, they did forge packets which they did deny. Not until they were confronted by the evidence did they admit they did that.Again, that wasn't the point. The point is you hate seeing these posts. If you hate them so much, why respond to them and add more fuel to the fire. We all know your bias and that is your choosing but these stories about what Comcast is or is not doing have merit especially when they are not forthcoming with truthful information.

You don't have to like it, just accept it.

Best post ever, moonpuppy!

The service changed... get over it.

Or get rid of it!

What makes you think I'm not "over it?"

All I want to know is what "it" is, now?

If it's not 6 Mbps, then is it 6 Mbp2s (6 Megabits per 2 seconds)?

And then there's this "Gem" in the new AUP, "The Service is for personal and non-commercial residential use only. Therefore, Comcast reserves the right to suspend or terminate Service accounts where bandwidth consumption is not characteristic of a typical residential user of the Service as determined by the company in its sole discretion." While that sounds reasonable, it continues, "Common activities that may cause excessive bandwidth consumption in violation of this Policy include, but are not limited to, numerous or continuous bulk transfers of files and other high capacity traffic using (i) file transfer protocol ("FTP"), (ii) peer-to-peer applications, and (iii) newsgroups, whether provided by Comcast or a third party." WHAT??!! Suddenly the restrictions aren't so residential. None of those common activities they listed are uncommon to home users!

This change hasn't made the issue any clearer for anyone. In fact, it has made it worse.

"and (iii) newsgroups, whether provided by Comcast or a third party."

That's priceless. Now they can terminate your account for using a service that they provide.

They only provide 2GB/mo worth of Usenet (via Giganews) last time I had Comcrap. Upped from 1GB, down from unlimited from ATTBi.

Oops. I was trying to illustrate the part which allows them to take action against a customer even if it is due to use of their own services. Didn't mean to imply it was only for Usenet.

Their usenet offering sucks to the point you couldn't use it anyway. Comcrap is like giving you a car with flat tires then telling you not to speed. Unfortunately, unlike a REAL BMW, Roberts' turd doesn't have run-flat and it's a VERY low mileage lease.

A greedy company?
I don't know about you but I tend to think that a company that charges 1.43 per day for a 20Mb + pipe with powerboost and lets you download about 300 Gigs per month of data on it for that low a price is one that is far from greedy.

In fact, I'd call that downright generous.

Companies used to charge 3 times that amount per hour for dial up service and rip off companies like AT&T charge half that amount for what amounts to not even 1/20th those kinds of speeds.

300 gigs per month is a HUGE amount of data for this company to allow their customers. After all, we all read about the companies who DO cap their customers..and do so at about 1/10th those amounts.

Comcast really is one of the best ISP's out there IMHO.
In fact, it's really hard for me to imagine a better one.

"BUT, they did forge packets which they did deny."

Really? Did they? Is that a fact or just a continuation of a figment of your wild imagination?

What Comcast said was they don't block access to any web site or application. And, what they said was they do have the right to manage their network and to prevent it from abuse.

I don't see anything in those statements that come close to what you claim they said.

Really..what the bottom line here is is that we have an isp that is giving we customers upwards of 20,000k speeds with powerboost...and allowing up to upload and download some 300 gigs of data per month.

All for the amazingly low price of 1.43 cents per day on average.

Now..I don't know about you and the world you live in..but in mine that is a VERY reasonable price..and in fact..a VERY generous one at that for all that they do allow.

It's a well known fact that current docsis technology does have it's limitations. And, one of those limitations is that peer to peer type of activity...namely the uploading and saturating of the upstream channels..can have a VERY negative impact on all users. And so, what we have is a very small minority who cause a LOT of problems for the majority.

Comcast has the right..and in fact..the obligation..to protect the majority of we users from that kind of activity.
And, they do so quite effectively with their current network management.

Is it perfect? Obviously not. At least for the very small number of people who are impacted by it. But..you see..it's generally those small number of people anyway who really feel that it should all be free anyway...and that Comcast should be giving them their own 20,000k private fiber connection to the internet or something..and let them do whatever they want with it.

It just doesn't work that way. If these individuals would like to go out and spend 10,000 per month themselves on their own pipe that could offer them that..then more power to them. I'm sure that AT&T would be more than happy to assist them in setting it up. Before they go out of business anyway from their Uverse fiasco.

As for the rest of us..I think the vast majority are reasonable people. And realize what a great value and service we have in Comcast.

In fact..I'd say it's one of the best isp's in America..if not the best.
Speed for speed..and dollar for dollar..

It certainly beats just about anything the telco's have..and certainly most dsl plans.

It's amazing that you like to focus so much on comcast..while apparently your own ISP..namely Verizon..charges such a huge amount of money for their dsl service..for what is generally such a very slow offering.

Comcast is all about speed..and value.

And, whatever it is they're doing..I certainly hope they keep it up.

And Ford used to advertise a Pinto for $2499. If it's not an advertisement from the past couple of months then it's totally irrelevant. When exactly did Comcast advertise their service as unlimited?

always here locally..

link?

»consumerist.com/consumer ··· 5585.php

Read here:

»Comcast Denies They're Violating Network Neutrality [106] commentsReally? Forging packets is degrading service.

Now, if they can manage their network the way they want, why not block the traffic? Nope, it is better to degrade it and deny it. If you think forging packets is not degrading traffic, you have other issues.Powerboost is a joke. I had it and was less than impressed. Plus, it doesn't last long. As for your 300GB of data, Comcast has sent letters for less. That's your point of view. Some do not agree with you.Did you have an extra glass of Comcast Kool-Aid when you wrote that?

That might be the case but to lie about it is a different issue.Really? According to many on this site, they do not share your opinion. In fact, you seem to be fighting pretty hard for your side while most seem to be against you.

As for being one of the the best ISPs, that is laughable. I had Comcast and now have Verizon DSL. Verizon is a much better service IMO and I pay less.Let's see. Comcast was $45/month. Verizon is $15. Comcast is limited newsgroups. Verizon is unlimited. Comcast sends out letters for those who go against the invisible caps. Verizon doesn't send out letters. And before you say anything, I had Comcast for over 4 years in 2 locations.

Let's add I know people who use the FIOS service and they give it higher marks over Comcast.

Try again.

lol..Try again?
DSL..dollar for dollar..speed versus speed..is VASTLY more expensive than Comcasts service.

You PAY less because you get a whole lot less.
A dsl customer pays upwards of 20.00 and more for 768k speeds.
A comcast customer..42.95 per month for powerboost speeds TWENTY times those #'s.
That would value the REAL cost of the dsl at about FOUR HUNDRED dollars versus Comcasts service.

DSL..the bargain? Give me a break. That dog just won't hunt!

As for your other points..they just won't hunt either.
You seem insistent on putting words in Comcasts mouth that they never said.

You seem concerned about comcast's "lies". Perhaps it's you who needs a visit to the confession booth at your local church.

Comcast does not have the obligation to fund someones illegal ptp file trading activities with an unlimited 20,000k pipe as you seem to propose.
The only reason your verizon connection doesn't have the issue is because it's so damn slow, you'd never hit the caps anyway!

Comcast isn't trying to be all things to all people..and certainly not the isp to the bandwidth hogs who want it all for nothing.

The fact of the matter is, the vast majority of us are VERY happy with our speeds and the VERY generous 300gig per month caps that Comcast has.

And, if someone doesn't like it..i'd suggest they do what you did. Go to the slowskys and pick up a 768k ~ 1500k dinosaur of a connection and run around crowing about how little you pay.

They'll be in great company with you for sure!

What good is a service if there is a limit to it. Comcast sends out letters for less than the 300GB figure you mentioned before. Therefore, you could hit your cap WAY earlier on your Comcast service than my DSL service. Comcast will penalize you for using the service.

Plus, if you want more than 2GB out of the newsgroups, you have to pay for it with Comcast. With Verizon, I have it.That dog is hunting pretty well if Comcast still shows the "Slowskis" commercials. If the dog wouldn't hunt, why advertise against it?All my points hunt real well. You seem to turn a blind eye to common sense as do most company shills like yourself.

My conscience is clean. No confession needed here.Comcast has no obligation to help spammers yet they do when people's machines get infected and start spewing crap but they turn a blind eye to it. As for al P2P being illegal, that is laughable to say the least. My Verizon connection does very well and I don't have to worry about a cap because we don't have one.Comcast would love to have Joe Email and Suzy Spreadsheet because those people don't use their connection. However, what good is a fast connection if you don't need speed?

And we know that 300GB is not official and there have been reports of people getting letters for much less.Many have done that and many others have gone to FIOS. FIOS is gaining subscribers all over the place and if you think Comcast is not worried, then you are truly blind. Again, if Comcast had no worries about DSL, then why even run the commercials?

Sure, you will have the rest of your company shills on your side but the consumers do not share your opinion. The consumers are the ones who keep your company alive.

Why do you continue to evade the actual questions and instead spew PR swill?

I defy you to find a 20 megabit Comcast connection for $42.95 that is not some limited promo price or in a market where they are running for their lives (see: Utopia an FIOS). What is the total cost of that when you add in the required cable service? How much is it "dry"?

But as a practical matter how often are you using that 20 megabit download speed? This is a serious question. 10% of the time? 1%? 0.1%? Isn't it just a marketing gimmick like "Powerboost"?

I have 6016/768 for $40 and that includes the phone line. I have yet to see a comparable Comcast plan at that price point.

Another question for you: Why do you call p2p "illegal" when there are increasing numbers of legitimate uses for the technology, not the least of which are things like Octoshape and distribution of Internet appliances by established, respected companies like VMWare. These are hardly illegal and are the wave of the future. A future Comcast is terrified of and is doing whatever it can to beat it back before its core business starts going down the drain. You love to bash AT&T. Well, Comcast is starting to do the same anti-competitive things the "old" AT&T was broken up over. Maybe it's time to shine the anti-trust light towards Philly.

And we're still waiting for justification of breaking established TCP/IP protocol merely for profit.

This post is to the two posters above..moon puppy and radio doc. (hereafter referred to as radiopuppy)

Because your message is essentially the same..and dead wrong as wrong can be IMHO..I'll combine my response to the two of you.

First..to the good doc. My post should dispel any false rumors that comcast isn't offering 20,000k + speeds for 42.95.

And, to the crowd that likes to claim it's only for the first 5 seconds of the download..my post also dispels that false rumor you all just love to put out there in defense of your ever dying telco industry.

2.26MB at 40 MB + into the file.
My oh my oh my.

But..of course..I already knew that. Because I actually use the service..whereas you're obviously out here posting for different reasons.

And so, to the Good doc who accuses me of not answering the questions..
there's the direct answer to you.
"I defy you to find a 20 megabit Comcast connection for $42.95 that is not some limited promo price or in a market where they are running for their lives (see: Utopia an FIOS)."

I just defied you.

And now, to moonpuppy.

Let's consider these results for a moment..and then compare them to what dsl offers the vast majority of their customers.

768k to 1500k for 20 to 25?
3,000k for the same to maybe 30?
Are those the speeds and prices you're referring to as the "value" among telcos versus comcast?

Well..guess what?
Your beloved dsl offerings are VASTLY..HUGELY..and OUTRAGEOUSLY priced versus my and others comcast connections.

Flat out..dollar for dollar..you'd be paying almost TWO HUNDRED PER MONTH for an equivalent speed offering as comcast customers pay.

Who's the expensive one? Who has the very slow solution?
Who is the RIPOFF????

Guess what?
It's sure not Comcast!!

And, EVEN DOC..with his 6Mb 40.00 connection..is STILL paying something upwards of 120.00 per month COMPARED to what I am with comcast.

Is it any wonder why Comcast is growing SO damn rapidly?
Because they are the VALUE LEADER in the tv..Internet..AND phone space.

My friends..people are not dumb. And I certainly am not dumb.
We understand VALUE when we see it.

And, it's why so many subscribe to this service..and why so many more will as they understand the truth..and facts..behind the distortions that some would like to post here.

Myth # 2.
Comcast and their caps.
As you both know..I've been around bbr for quite a while now..and seen many a post. And, seen many a post in the comcast forum.

And, while some like to accuse Comcast of having "caps"..the fact of the matter is..those caps if they really exist at all are in the STRATOSPHERE. Comcast is not out to deny me or anyone our rightful access to the service.
What they ARE out to protect..is the vast majority of their customer base who simply do not abuse this service.
And, they have every right to do that..and we customers expect them to do just that.

Comcast does not have an obligation to give someone a non stop..24/7..all month long 20Mb connection and let them abuse it to the detriment of everyone else.

As good as the service is today..it has it's technological limitations. And the fact is..if they let people saturate the upstream for an extended period of time..and enough people did it..the whole service would grind to a halt for everyone.

It is the technology as it exists today in the network..not the will of comcast to deny us anything.
And, just as in many examples in life..it's up to people to not abuse something beyond it's limitations.

Sadly..some..and what seems to be a very few..simply do not understand that and haven't gotten the message.
As generous as comcast is with speeds and caps..they still feel they own the whole network to themselves apparently.
And Comcast must guard against that just the way any operator of anything must guard against their business.

This doesn't mean that it will be this way forever. With docsis 3.0 coming..it will undoubtedly help relieve this situation even more..and hopefully some day it won't be an issue at all.
But..today it is. And even despite that..I believe completely that Comcast is and has addressed it fairly..and has given we users more than our fair share for the money we pay each month.

It simply boggles my mind why you expect them to give their customers more for the money. The speeds I have demonstrated here for the money are a HUGE value..and truly do show how outrageously expensive the telcos really are.
You'd like people here to believe that comcast is the bad guys. I see it differently..and believe the companies you're supporting are the real rip offs for the most part.

And finally, to address the issue for one last time here..because I believe have both answered the questions and directly replied to the questions.. What comcast has said is that they do not block access to anything. And, they don't.
What comcast HAS said is that they take reasonable measures to preserve and protect their network.
And, obviously they do.

And, they should.
And..the vast majority of customers want them to I believe.

And the rest?

They should just sign up for a slow as he** dsl plan and really find out what life is like on the Dark side.