To the mothership...
Comcast Defends Web Traffic Methods - eITplanet.com
The ISP explains how it manages your Internet traffic to the FCC. Sound off!
Printable View
To the mothership...
Comcast Defends Web Traffic Methods - eITplanet.com
The ISP explains how it manages your Internet traffic to the FCC. Sound off!
Basically you Americans have had it too soft for too long............ limiting usage, or charging different prices for different service levels is not uncommon over here, and I see it increasing, rather than decreasing.
Very dangerous to the more long-sighted of us, as it is driving the RIAA, MPAA and the ISPs into the same corall :shocked:
Begging your pardon? Can't speak for your neck of the woods, but the "service" part of "ISP" -- for the handful of them I've used, at least -- makes you want to stab yourself in the face. Repeatedly. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by nihil
Man that sure does make me glad that I have AT&T dsl... For now anyways. I use the crap outta some download programs and my bill is always the same. Not saying that they won't jump on that band wagon later on, but right now it's like Nihil said... Got it soft over here. I like soft. :) Soft is comforting, it makes me happy to use my internet. Lol.
Comcast is such crap service and it is all I can use around here. The other option is DSL, but last time I checked they weren't able to get to my place.
"SOFT" you say, we only get like 6Mbps max from Comcast and don't for a second think that is what you get all the time. The lag I get sometimes on games is just ridiculous, not to mention that sometimes service can just be cut altogether for a while and Comcast won't give me any discount on my bill.
Continuing on, I have been quoted one rate for Comcast and when I get my bill its 15-25 bucks higher than they said. I try to argue but they say that they can't help me out and that perhaps they just quoted it wrong.
I don't even want to get started on the fees they try and charge to come out to your home for a service call or repairing something they overlooked from day one.
And did you all hear about the Senate passing that Immunity bill for Telecom companies. Lets give all those companies that did illegal things (wiretapping mainly, but I am sure much more) for the US Government a free get of jail pass so that they will do more illegal things for the government in the future.
What is happening to this country? I feel this country is circling the drain.
What's worse -- and certainly the same can be said in Canada -- is that many users find this acceptable. The challenge is that with so much being "free" online the real costs are never transferred to us (e.g., the cost of spammers, the cost of those hogging downloads, etc. ) Too many companies are out to do it easy and fast without providing support to users, who, don't want to know how it works -- just that it works when they connect the little "telephone" plug into the back of their computer.Quote:
Originally Posted by phernandez
Many people in the US find all of this wiretapping, illegal spying, expanded powers of the government, etc to be just fine because for the moment it isn't directly affecting them. They only care for their own asses and since they haven't been bothered the government is doing a good job. I wish these people would wake up and start seeing the many different colors of evil instead of just red and blue.
I can see that each of these changes is just taking more and more power from citizens and handing it over to corporations and government. Now even as a US citizen you can't even bring a laptop into the country without them trying to strip you of your 4th amendment rights. WTF!
Hey.. they did that to me when I came to visit except it was my personal journal. US CIS has been given hugely wide and very broad permissions that is making the US more and more isolationary.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blunted One
Yeah they are stepping on the basis of how the country was founded. They don't care about rights of individuals, just that they have limitless power. This isn't about securing a country it is about control.
I would be out their protesting right now, but I can't afford to, if I don't work I can't afford my place and car. That is another thing the Government bets on is that people can't do anything about it because it would ruin their job and a lot more. I try to call my senator and such, but based on how they are voting it doesn't seem to do any good. They are all too far gone in a moral sense and are being pampered by these companies.
I always loved the saying that people shouldn't fear the government, a government should fear its people. But it seems that the government has no fear of its people now. That is very very bad.
Good we don't want you over here anyways, terrorist ha ha, ok but seriouslyQuote:
that is making the US more and more isolationary.
it is always fun to hear the paranoid point of view about our government!
seeing the raise in minimum wages, doesn't surprise me that we are going to have to pay a little more for things... its economy, not communism :)
I don't think it is paranoia, I would more say concern for how our government conducts itself. Using the deaths of 9/11 to pass dumb laws that allow for more power for the government under the names of the "Patriot Act", "Protect America Act"...what a bunch of crap.
You can't actually say that you don't find all these recent things about granting immunity to illegal wiretapping or letting Comcast be the internet police is actually a good thing.
Here is some scary info I found recently...
http://www.alternet.org/story/76388
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blunted One
Part of the reason it is so important to disarm the American people, especially if they are turning loose a private paramilitary that you mention in your last post. We can't have anyone able to fight back can we? (I confess to (at times) being a member of the right wing wackos.)
Muhahahahahahahahahaha :lildevil:
Look at all the exposed raw nerves...................
Phernandez old chap, will you please stop propagating that age old typo?....... it is not "ISP" it is "ICP" (Internet Charge Provider) :jester:
Hey guys, I am not being paranoid here.............. this is a serious issue. These ICPs make a lot of money out of selling the same service to three different people at the same time.
If everyone actually used what they were contractually entitled to, at the same time, the whole fragile house of cards would collapse.
Now, BitTorrent is generally used to share copyright material........... don't even bother to argue that.............
Torrents and illegal file sharing are causing a big problem to the ICPs' business model of selling the same thing to three different people at the same time? It relies on us not using our entitlement all the time so that they can sell it to someone else as well!!!!
Problem for the file sharing community is that they are not a particularly significant component of the ICPs' cash flow model..............
For every customer who uses BitTorrent, there must be going on 50 who do not.
Again, I would propose that the ICPs have thus far resisted the RIAA and MPAA overtures and pressures because of the unreimbursed costs such actions represent to them.
If the ICPs feel that their business model is threatened, they will jump into bed with the RIAA/MPAA quicker than a rat up a drain.
Furthermore, please don't think that your feeble Constitution will protect you.......... it won't.
And remember................. the acronym "ICP" is mine, you read it on AO first :lildevil:
New rule: coining acronyms is forbidden. ICP's Mine now! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by nihil
I guess the Insane Clown Posse will have to change their acronym then. Lol. I work in the telecom/aDsl portion of At&t. I do field work everyday. And from time to time I have seen "monitoring" devices whether it be recorders or even cameras for the local police. I have never personally installed one myself, but for sh!ts and giggles I knocked one out by disconnecting the dial tone. Lets just say that is was up and running in less than 20 minutes.
They take those things serious. Believe it or not it is incredibly simple to tap a phone line. It is sooooo simple. All you need is the equipment and a basic understanding of telephone networking. As far as being charged for shared bandwidth, Im glad I got a dedicated subscriber line. I remember the days of the original napster and waiting until 2 am to start downloading so it would go faster than later in the day when everyone else was online. I was using Time Warner then and I was always mad at the quality of service I got.
Only special courts should be allowed to give the ok on "monitoring devices", just going around and bullying telecom companies to comply or else is what you could called a dictatorship.
Last time I checked we have a justice department that is supposed to be a checks and balances on the other government bodies, but by using these new "laws" and "acts" the people in charge are basically writing their way past these checks and balances. When no one is watching over their shoulder, then who is to stop them from becoming even more corrupt than they are now?
I think this quote applies....
Power corrupts and ultimate power corrupts ultimately....
and I think the US and UK governments are reaching for that ultimate power. Scary to think they already have so much control and they want even more.
Everybody was too busy with primaries and caucuses, and nobody listened to Bush's final State of the Union speech... and those who did listen were asleep by the end of the speech, when this came up:
Quote:
State of the Union, 2008 - http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...080128-13.html
"On the home front, we will continue to take every lawful and effective measure to protect our country. This is our most solemn duty. We are grateful that there has not been another attack on our soil since 9/11. This is not for the lack of desire or effort on the part of the enemy. In the past six years, we've stopped numerous attacks, including a plot to fly a plane into the tallest building in Los Angeles and another to blow up passenger jets bound for America over the Atlantic. Dedicated men and women in our government toil day and night to stop the terrorists from carrying out their plans. These good citizens are saving American lives, and everyone in this chamber owes them our thanks. (Applause.)
And we owe them something more: We owe them the tools they need to keep our people safe. And one of the most important tools we can give them is the ability to monitor terrorist communications. To protect America, we need to know who the terrorists are talking to, what they are saying, and what they're planning. Last year, Congress passed legislation to help us do that. Unfortunately, Congress set the legislation to expire on February the 1st. That means if you don't act by Friday, our ability to track terrorist threats would be weakened and our citizens will be in greater danger. Congress must ensure the flow of vital intelligence is not disrupted. Congress must pass liability protection for companies believed to have assisted in the efforts to defend America. We've had ample time for debate. The time to act is now. (Applause.) "
I can't think of a more 'slippery slope' than that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Negative
And hey Nihil, our Constitution is not 'feeble' at all, and I take offense to the suggetion that it is. It just needs to be upheld properly by people with the convictions to do so. The current crop of politicians running for the presidency don't have those convictions. Neither did Mr. Bush, who frequently wiped his arse with it.
I'm SO disillusioned with politics and politicians that I could just puke.
<sigh>
O
BTW - Comcast as a company is hardly hurting. Take it for what it's worth...
Comcast Profit Up 54% - NY Times
Interesting to see how the money has moved around a bit in regards to where it's being generated the most. Raising prices while losing number clients may have helped them survive for now but the question is: are they really doing things to help "bring order to chaotic traffic"?Quote:
Originally Posted by phernandez
I have comcast here in Memphis...why I don't agree with them limiting traffic I am happy with my service...I can hit 12Mbps easy on my downloads.
I would rather my traffic not be monitored though :)...I'd like to see less control in our personal affairs from the government.
Hey O~
ALL written constitutions are feeble, and the longer they have been around, the more feeble they become. Society and technology move on, but the written constitution sits there: cast in stone, written in blood.
As Blunted One puts it:
Another problem is when senior legal, prosecution and law enforcement positions are political appointments.Quote:
Last time I checked we have a justice department that is supposed to be a checks and balances on the other government bodies, but by using these new "laws" and "acts" the people in charge are basically writing their way past these checks and balances.
:)
Seriously, this is very disturbing news. Just when we thought we had beaten one moneygrubbing monopoly(our phone company) with broadband flat rate phone service, the very companies that provide the foundation for that technology are turning the tables on us. The answer is not regulating bandwidth usage, the answer is having the capability within the network to handle ANY bandwidth demands from its entire subscriber base.
This type of reaction would be like penalizing someone who bathes several times a day for using too much water. I don't believe the saying goes, "cleanliness is next to gluttony".
That is exactly what happens here mate.............. water is on a meter............. use it and you pay?..................Quote:
This type of reaction would be like penalizing someone who bathes several times a day for using too much water. I don't believe the saying goes, "cleanliness is next to gluttony".
You can also get pretty much all the bandwidth you want so long as you are prepared to pay for it :D
The only problem I see is that ICPs promise services that they can only approximate to if there is redundant consumer usage, that is their business model.
They just don't have the infrastructure to deliver otherwise :(
That is why they are looking at "trimming" those who are being greedy. The alternative is capping, which would affect more customers.
You must bear in mind "marketing speak"......................... "unlimited" means "unlimited so long as that does not exceed the expectations of our business model" :cool:
its metered here too, but it's so incredibly cheap that it doesn't matter. But the real point is not the fact that you have to pay a few pennies extra to use more water, but the fact that no matter how much you could conceivably use in a normal day to day life, you wouldn't be depriving anyone else. Water will still come out of their tap.
I'm sure there are a great many people in Manhattan and greater New York City indulging in the same practices as mentioned in that article, and yet my download speed is always around just under 10 Mb. Very little variation, even at peak times.
Hmmm,
Water over here isn't cheap.............. you are looking at $400~$800 per year.......... more if you have a family.
As for download speeds, they do vary quite a bit. I would guess that places like NYC are kept pretty much up to date............... here the infrastructure is mostly pretty old............. I get 5~6 depending.
Personally I do not see ICPs providing anything above the minimum infrastructure that they think they can get away with. Hence they don't like torrents.
My concern is that in order to apply their minimal infrastructure business model, they will support the RIAA and MPAA. All those creeps would have to do is offer to pay them for their effort.
This has absolutely nothing to do with privacy, eavesdropping, or whatever............ this is all about commercial greed as I see it. The ICPs don't give a rodent's rectum about what you download content wise............. they do care about how frequently, and how much you download.
The RIAA/MPAA don't give a rodent's rectum about how much or how frequently you download, but they do care about the content.
My question is: how long it will be before these erstwhile protagonists discover that they have a lot of common ground, and form an unholy alliance?
:shocked:
Not here. If you have a lawn to water, maybe $200 to 270, but without that, maybe 150 a yr or so.
This I agree with wholeheartedly. I probably should have explained that I included this thought in my previous posting, but didn't explicitly say it. I didn't mean to be reactionary towards you, Nihil, but I keep watching my country that I love, which was founded on very simple laws and standards, keep on degrading and being abused by those in power who wish to twist things to their own ends. It's just sickening.Quote:
Originally Posted by nihil
I am a proud American. I love the idea of my country. I will tend to get a bit touchy at times, but I imagine a lot of the touchiness comes from my disillusionment for what I see happening here. It seems like my words don't count, and the 'officials' are serving their own ends rather than serving the population. I still have the ideal in my head, but the politicos don't. It's like banging my head against a brick wall.
So, heaven forbid, a Brit says that our Constitution is weak or faulty. Nationalism is not the best thing, but I can't help but keep alive the ideals that our beloved USA was founded on (the Constitution).
I didn't mean to turn this post into a rant, but there it is. Nihil, no hard feelings. The USA is turning into something that I don't like, and I feel powerless to change it. It's frustrating.
O
If the Federal Government (US) could be forced to go back to what it is allowed to do in the Constitution we would be much better off in my opinion. They spend almost all of their time finding ways to expand their powers. Now we have them spending millions of dollars investigating the use of steroids in baseball. I love baseball. I think that any records set by steroid users should be discounted. But I am sorry the Congress of the US has no business investigating baseball. Show me in the Constitution their authority in that area. Read the 10th amendment idiots in Washington....
I agree, MLB should be policing that entirely. Since when does our gov. care what happens in a damn GAME? Work on what's important! And there's plenty of important things that need a TON of work!
Weird,
I couldn't see our government showing any interest unless the substances were illegal per se, rather than prohibited by the sport.
I found these:
http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/Baseball...undup/main.asp
:D
The investigation is an embarrasement to anyone involed, players, owners and especially our government.
How sad that the people in charge of our country basically helped all the owners and especially Bud Selig (commissioner of baseball and who has friends in congress) get out of this situation clean as can be and leave the blame on all the players and trainers. The leaders in this country do not take responsibility, they just like to shift it away from themselves and their friends.
We are going off topic, but I thought there are many more things in this country worth investigating aside from a stupid steroid scandal.
What is also scary is that certain conflicts in our government like the fight over expanded spying powers and telecom immunity are going on without much news attention and according to my father none of the news stations were evening talking about it. The house also held two republicans in contempt and it was not really mentioned on the news (TV) either. A little odd in my book as those things seem more important than any primary or caucus BS or a steroid investigation.
By the way I also have to say that in America one of the most sacred things we hold is the rights of our people as outlined in the Constitution. It may seem like just a piece of old paper to those outside of this country, but we were all brought up and taught how these are rights that can NEVER be taken away from you. In recent years we have seen just the opposite and it angers me greatly. The government has been playing with fire in the sense that they want to see how much they can burn of the Constitution without pissing everyone off. Well I for one am PISSED and want all of these power abusers brought to justice and punished SEVERLY. Water boarding comes to mind...and it is only fair, besides it's "NOT" torture.
thats lol
This is all probably why Jefferson said every generation needs to have another revolution.
The way I look at things is that when people revolt... they end up getting to much of what they want.Quote:
This is all probably why Jefferson said every generation needs to have another revolution.
Politicians aren't very creative so most bad ideas spring directly from the "under empowered and disenfranchised" of America. For example, look at illegal aliens and racial empowerment groups have done.
If I am going to get too much of what I want then...Quote:
Originally Posted by The-Spec
Get your hands out of my pockets, trash, computer and day to day life. If I work, pay my taxes, bills and have a clean record then leave me the F alone.
I know my rights and would you mind getting your dirty feet and grimy hands off them before I backhand you.
Seriously though I have a msg to comcast, verizon and att....I pay for my "high speed, unlimited internet connection" that you seem to be falsely advertising so back the F off before I get myself a lawyer. Oh and your not the police and if I recall correctly didn't we pay for you guys to increase your bandwidth infrastructure? Not my fault if you underestimated the amount of data your networks would be handling, time for an upgrade and we all know you have the money...cheap bastards!