| Wish_I_Was_Stupid As another Prolog employee I experience the complete computer illiteracy of many of our customers. Many customers just leave their their computers on and have no idea as to what is running in the background. ie: P2P applications. These customers just sit online and get file after file leeched off of them. In fact, we hear it everyday from the RIAA demanding for customer information. We try to save our customers by giving them a second chance and telling them to disable the sharing of illegal files via p2p applications. Its pretty sad that all these same customers who have no clue as to what they are doing call in complaining and trying to speak their new found "technical jargon" as to possibly boggle us with their superior mind power. Unfortunately for them, NOTHING has been changed. Prolog is suggesting these people to stop the uploading so we could alleviate the strain on the network and provide a better service to all.
With all this complaining maybe it would be better to just turn them over to the RIAA and know what real rules and sueing is. |
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| This Pretty Much Tells it Right This is taken from a post on prolog.general newsgroup ::
"I am not going to get into any discussion about this, I am going to just
state the purpose of that letter which has been take wrong by only about 1%
of the customer base from what I have seen.
Here are the facts:
A. Nothing is being changed. It is only in the maybe phase and at this
time have no plans to implement it. Hopefully just getting the word out
will take out one factor in issues that affect all cable broadband
providers, not just PTD.
B. People who have the uploading enabled on these programs are allowing
people to use the bandwidth.
B.1 and this can happen even if they are not personally using it.
C. We are just trying to get the word out that if people are not personally
actively using the upload to turn it off, as it does affect the network.
Why should we waste bandwidth on someone from say Florida when our customers
could be using it. And all because someone either forgot to turn it off
when they were done, or do not even know its on.
D. No one here at PTD is trying to tell anyone what to do with their
connection. The government not PTD sets the laws as far as copyrights and
other issues, if we get legal notice to terminate an account we will do it.
This is not a decision we make we just follow the law.
E. Your speeds that your complaining about have been directly tied to these
kinds of programs sucking down your bandwidth and its most likely being used
by someone outside our network.
F. I am not concerned at this time about the server part even thought that
is a legitimate issue. All we want is for people who are NOT PERSONALLY
using the upload part to just turn it off. It will help everyone. We
have watched the general flow of traffic and have confirmed that these
programs are causing 50% of all speed issues.
G. No we are not out of bandwidth, this is only a way to cut down unused
traffic by people who are not Prolog Customers.
H. We care about our customers and are only trying to maintain as much as
possible the best most consistent service possible, and this letter was
meant just to get the word out to people who may not even know what is
happening and to ask people who do understand to work with us on this. Use
the upload when you personally need it, but do not leave it on all the time
so the bandwidth can just be left on like a water faucet, kind of like water
conservation. Why waste it? We want it for our customers not theirs
I. If these programs are not setup right your computers could have major
security holes in them and your personal files could be available to the
world.
This is all I am going to say about this I hope this puts some peoples mind
at ease. Our main goal is to get rid of wasted bandwidth so you OUR
customers can use it.
I apologize if the intent of the letter was misunderstood in anyway."
---That sounds pretty reasonable to me!! |
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| I'd like to address the valid concern of isps about putting "their necks on the line" where copyright is concerned.
Firstly though, it has to be admitted that this underscores that the issue is more about copyrighted content than it is about network performance. This isn't a criticism of the company but we need to be straightforward about what this is about.
Customers need to be more aware of the awkward position that isps are in. They don't want to be in this position. They don't want to be police officers monitoring their customers. I believe most would like to just let customers use their service without fussy restrictions.
Part of the reform that needs to take place is to do away with the dmca. The dmca is an abomination, including terms that allow the bullying of traffic carriers.
I do understand the dilemma that you face. Much of the time we seem to bitch about the service provider when what we are really bitching about is the perverse political and legal climate. However, I also understand that this is a case of each company rolling over because everyone is afraid to be the one to take a stand. Everyone suffers because no one is willing to be the first one to stand up and because everyone is afraid to organize a response. The long term implications for the internet, and for your business, are grave and it is desperately important that isps organize a common voice. The isp community, with the support of big players like the ilecs could be a force with power to counteract the publishing industry lobby in washington.
These issues are made all the more murky for cable companies and mega-merger monsters that have divided loyalties and contradictory interests within the company. |
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twid
join:2001-03-21
Santa Clara, CA | reply to mrslate
Re: Wish_I_Was_Stupid I think posting publicly about your contempt for your customer base is a great business strategy. I know after your post and the post of the previous person from Prolog, I will never, ever do business with Prolog.
You aren't "suggesting" that people turn off uploading, you're telling them to do it or get terminated. I know if I was a customer with a service contact and you implemented this policy on me, I'd be cancelling my contract and taking you to small-claims court for bait-and-switch.
DSL and cable providers are so silly. "Here is a high-bandwidth service, please don't use the bandwidth, though".
I'll tell you what, I'm going to push for photo monitoring at every intersection in your hometown. That way, when you break the law, you will be justifiably punished. After all, you're the criminal, right? We'll also install monitoring webcams in everyone's home. People who aren't breaking the law have nothing to worry about. |
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| WOW PTD How lame. PTD has there workers come out here and attempt to clear there tainted name and they do not even have the decency to spell check there posts before making them? Everyone better drop these clowns as soon as another ISP rolls into town because I would not put up with the half truths these cats are telling you. |
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