End of TV :(

[Mercutio]

Not at the moment. Actually it's just at my apartment, so I suppose it might be an issue just on my segment or local box or whatever, but my connection has just sucked for the last few weeks and I'm too busy to bother with calling them.

Last I read, Comcast's traffic shaping plan basically throttles everything uses more than small, bursty amounts of bandwidth, and since I'm pretty much always doing something like that that's what I'm guessing my issue is.

Not sure whether that should apply to me or not.

 

[timwhit]

The future looks grim for Comcast users.

 

[Mercutio]

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. They've been doing that since the end of June, I think. Unless they're planning to get even more severe.

 

[ddrueding]

The future looks grim for Comcast users.

In trials, Comcast has found the fair-share system to be effective if the slowing lasted for “roughly between, probably, 10 and 20 minutes,” Mr. Bowling said.

...every 10 to 20 minutes...

 

[Mercutio]

I will say that the last time there was a serious storm, and I was running my cable connection off a UPS in a blackout, I had a DSLreports speed test that showed 22Mbps to a server in Texas. So if you want your Comcast connection to be faster, just cut everyone else's power lines.

 

[P5-133XL]

I don't know but it really can't get much worse than what it was for bit-torrent users. The only difference is that it is now split amoung all the high BW users, rather than just bit torrent.

I liked it early in Comcasts history, when all they did was block the default ports for p2p and all one had to do was change them. They are getting much more sophicated and it is much harder to deal with.

 

[sechs]

Just get DSL.

AT&T has more less come out and said that P2P isn't worth worrying about. What they foresee eating most of their bandwidth is streaming media. And, I guess, they're building out their network to deal with it.

Comcast is cutting corners.

 

[Mercutio]

According to Comcast the issue in my case is actually an extra-crappy SNR on my cable modem. The guy I talked to also wanted to know how I convinced a Comcast rep to provide business services to an address with an apartment number.

Anyway my DSL option is a Verizon-provided line. Verizon billed me for a DSL line for three years after I moved out of my house that was *torn down* (the amount was ~$.07 different from my cell phone bill, so I just thought I was being double billed for my cell phone), so I have no plans to do any business with them again.

 

[sechs]

You need more competition.

Maybe you could bond 20 analog modems....

 

[Mercutio]

... and the Comcast thing just gets worse.

$150 a month for Business Service isn't so bad, really.

 

[P5-133XL]

It shouldn't effect you with your business service.

I have absolutely no problem with an open cap. It means that customers can choose service providers based on their needs assuming no monopoly. My problem with Comcast was that they were previously hiding what they were doing with direct lies. Telling people that they were not caps when they were disconnecting high use customers; Denying that they were manipulating traffic; Advertising that they were offering unlimited service when they weren't. What they were doing was just plain unacceptable.

If they had been upfront and totally truthful about what they were doing then everything would have been OK. They just wouldn't have been able to compete for new customers and would have lost some.

For me personally, what they were doing was very annoying and frustrating as I tried to figgure out what was going on. For a while it was easy, they were just blocking specific ports and I just used non-standard ports and everything was fine. When they started sending disconnects, I just couldn't maintain a torrent, for the life of me, and didn't understand why till others discovered it and told the world.

A standardized public 250GB/month cap is infinitely better. Now my next question is what traffic shaping technologies, other than a cap are they employing and not telling anyone? I ask because I absolutely don't trust them. That lack of trust includes "business" class service.

 

[P5-133XL]

http://www.betanews.com/article/Comcast_to_deploy_250_GBmonth_usage_caps_in_October/1219958122

According to Comcast, this is not a new policy but rather simply an old one that they are finely making open. They are also reserving the right to traffic-shape in a prtotcol indiscriminate way ...

 

[Fushigi]

Comcast is still whacked. Just checked my address and got "At this time, High-Speed Internet service is not available for sale on our Web site in your location. Please call 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278) to order service. " I wonder what I've been paying them for, then, these past few years.

The 250GB isn't a bad limit; not that many people will hit it*, but I'm surprised Comcast is cutting them off rather than seeing the obvious potential revenue and charging, say, $10 for every additional 50GB.

But I'm still pissed that 'unlimited' access was limited. Really, where's the class action fraud suit?

*until streaming movies in SD & HD really takes off, that is.

 

[timwhit]

I think I should do my best to try to get to 249GB every month. Anyone have an easy way to track how much I have transferred through a Linksys router?

 

[timwhit]

Is this only for download or is upload counted as well?

 

[Stereodude]

A very large group of people should get together and all make sure they use their 250GB per month. Teach Comcast a lesson...

 

[sechs]

Wouldn't they get a better lesson if they all just went to another ISP?

 

[ddrueding]

Wouldn't they get a better lesson if they all just went to another ISP?

Assuming there is another one available. My complex doesn't have any CAT-3 or -5 wiring anymore, the only cable is coax, that means Comcast. They even offered a package deal with VoIP, but I'd rather give money to Vonage.

 

[sechs]

AT&T will run U-verse over coax. User experience says it's not as good as cat5, but it works.

 

[ddrueding]

I'm happy enough where I am, but thanks for letting me know there is another option.

 

[LOST6200]

BNobody really bneesds TV unless that be for the work-ralted.

 

[LunarMist]

What is the current situation? If I want to receive broadcast TV now, which indoor antenna would work?

 

[Stereodude]

Ones meant for UHF although a few OTA digital stations are VHF. Antennaweb should help you there.