 mapiper
join:2004-01-11
Indianapolis, IN | reply to aereaus
Re: Kafka, er...Comcast letter I am one of those people who has received an "excessive use" letter from Comcast. For those who have not read it, it is pretty Kafka-esque. They tell you that you have exceeded the bandwidth usage as stated in the AUP, but never state what the limits on that usage are.
There is a long-distance number provided which connects to a customer service center; reps at the center know nothing about the alleged limits and refer you to another long-distance number, supposedly for an "abuse department." Being a weekend, I have not been able to contact them, but I have sent a couple of emails to Comcast's abuse report address.
The replies to those emails essentially recapitulate the content of the original letter, simply explaining the process of termination for continued violation. I have asked repeatedly for clarification of the bandwidth usage limitations and have not yet received any answer.
For those of you who think people exceeding their bandwidth usage limitations are only those doing illegal activities, I happen to download a lot of SHN files from LEGAL sources...those sources being sites offering live recordings of music groups who AGREE to LIVE AUDIENCE recordings of their shows. Please see:
»db.etree.org/
»www.archive.org/
»www.sharingthegroove.org/msgboard/
»btat.wagnerone.com/
There are many more sites similar to these that offer completely LEGAL downloads, albeit very large files.
As I have repeatedly told Comcast, I am very willing to keep my downloads below the limitations if only I could know what those limitations are. I think that is only fair and honest. So far, Comcast doesn't seem to agree.
Now if I could only find another HSI provider in my area...
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jxsi
join:2003-12-04
Tempe, AZ | Exactly. All this Comcast stuff is purely shady. And all those siding with Comcast should re-evaluate their positions.  |
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| I don't use comcast so it's not a matter of choosing sides.
But my provider shaw does the exact same thing, if you use a sick amount of bandwidth they shut you down. I think the main reason there seems to be so much out cry on these boards is quite simply you guys are the 'hardcores'. Your serious about your connection and are very defensive of them. Hey I understand. But there are a lot of people who cant pay dedicated line costs for a highspeed connection they will barely use and they are the same people who pay for 99% of the service, so its not exactly fair for 1% to be user closer to a quarter of the total resources.
Hell, bandwidth isn't free, and there's a reason why all mention of 'unlimited' has been scorched from pretty much any service providers public materials.
Quite simply if your gonna push the envelope expect it to push back.
It may not be 'right' and in a perfect world we would have 100mb unlimited connections but thats not reality. So take a step back and ask yourself, how many hdd's can you really fill and are you actually making use of all that data or just downloading it because you can? |
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LrdVaderPremium
join:2003-12-18
San Diego, CA | said by ToLazy2SignUp:
It may not be 'right' and in a perfect world we would have 100mb unlimited connections but thats not reality.
In a truly perfect world, I expect at least 1gb!
said by ToLazy2SignUp:
So take a step back and ask yourself, how many hdd's can you really fill and are you actually making use of all that data or just downloading it because you can?
Note that some of that usage is in the form of streaming media, which generally isn't saved to disk for long-term storage. |
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| Agreed streaming isnt saved to disc. But that is only a factor for people who actually use streaming, at this time it is mostly a novelty, and it wouldnt be left on night and day like file transfers. Also for something such as shoutcast the bandwidth usage would be about equivalent (in the final tally at the end of the month) to web surfing.
Another way to look at the whole thing is not how much of that information your accessing but rather the information itself. For things like streaming tv and the like or even purchasing movies online you have the choice of downloading or lets say going to the video store or the theatre. You make decisions as to whats 'in the budget' the same way your not gonna rent 20 movies a week, people should place restraints on their bandwidth usage. I'm not saying dont use it or dont enjoy it, just dont be gluttonous. Simply because 'you can' doesnt make it right.
If your car has a speedometer that maxes at 200, it still doesnt mean you can go that speed all the time, you'll probably get a ticket. Are you gonna sue the car dealer for selling you a fast car? No. Are you gonna sue the city or government for not having faster roads even though they have the capacity to handle it? No, because its for the good of everyone out there. |
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LrdVaderPremium
join:2003-12-18
San Diego, CA | said by ToLazy2SignUp:
For things like streaming tv and the like
Actually, most streaming content is not available through other means, either because it's only broadcast through an Internet stream, or because it's from a station well outside the listener/viewer's local area. It would be rather stupid to go to the trouble of streaming to listen to a station I can pick up on my radio, dontcha think?
For the record, I don't personally do a whole hell of a lot of streaming. But what I *do* stream sure as hell isn't available on the local airwaves. |
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| What a bunch of BS! I got Cable before comcast took over, back in the RR days, then ATT took over and now comcast.
Funny how comcast should be in service for me as I Pay the HIGH amount I do for SERVICE. Comcast should have all the needed hardware in place to provided me with SERVICE and not tell me some crap about can only download so much so I can line thier pockets. That is a DIS-SERVICE to me. I dont care if im downloading 24/7 at my MAX and still to this day cant PROVE at ALL if it causes a problem for anyone on my node. Still Comcast needs to have the hardware in place for all to give good SERVICE for ALL, for after all it is being PAYED for big time!
In short comcast is just full of it. Cant wait till more providers come in my area so I dont have to put up with this crap for as much as I pay for it. |
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Wilde_1
join:2004-01-13
Pittsburgh, PA | reply to ToLazy2SignUp
said by ToLazy2SignUp:
If your car has a speedometer that maxes at 200, it still doesnt mean you can go that speed all the time, you'll probably get a ticket. Are you gonna sue the car dealer for selling you a fast car? No. Are you gonna sue the city or government for not having faster roads even though they have the capacity to handle it? No, because its for the good of everyone out there.
No I would not sue due to that fact that on the side of the roads are these little signs....SPEED LIMIT XX
I am given a guideline to follow and normally do. Do I drive that speed all the time as some suggest would happen...no I but I do know what the limit is and don't argue too much when I do get caught exceeding it. Do I make sure that I always drive at least that much because that is what the sign says that in the northern US that may be a very bad idea in the snow(Not to mention in PA the roads suck to begin with) |
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