[TriLUG] OT: TIME WARNER ANNOUNCES INTRODUCTION OF PACKET SHAPING TECHNOLOGY NATIONWIDE

Mon Jun 11 14:42:50 EDT 2007

I've had Comcast in Alabama and Virginia for 3-4 years now.  I had TWC for 
3-4 years in NC.  On the whole TWC impressed me as more clueful and 
servicable.  Examples of Comcast's cluelessness:

- They specify having a Windows PC to provision the cable modem.  What 
this means is a Windows PC with a CD drive so they can pop in their 
autoprovisioning software and leave.  I had a Sony Vaio PCG-505GX (no CD 
drive), so the cable techs (two of them) left the CD and fled.
- The cable techs didn't bother to listen to me when I said it was a new 
installation, so attempted to test a disconnected cable line for signal 
(duh, guys).
- Their support phone system expects the telephone number registered to 
your account to have the same area code as the service area where your 
address is.  Since mine is 919, it routinely gave me the "We don't service 
your area" message and hung up.
- On the technical side of things, they redirect all port 80 lookups to a 
proxy server (their DNS server, actually) which does a user OS lookup.  If 
they don't recognize your OS (e.g., it isn't Windows or Mac), they 
rewrite the page (e.g., it still preserves the URL you entered, but the 
content is from Comcast) stating that your OS isn't supported and that 
you'll have to use a supported OS (caching DNS fixes this, but it's a 
nuisance one should not have to endure).

And as if to prove how bad they are, every commercial break on tv has at 
least *TWO* Comcast commercials saying how great they are.  If they were 
that great, they wouldn't have to advertise it on their broadcast network.

I HATE Comcast.  I wish I had a viable alternative.  And to think that I 
see commercials telling me how much of an innovater the cable industry is.

:(

-- 
William Sutton

On Mon, 11 Jun 2007, Greg Brown wrote:

> I have Comcast on the Outer Banks and TWC is world's ahead in terms of
> service.  I have maximum speeds for Comcast on the outer banks (3 meg down,
> 1 meg up).  Sad, I know.  But deal with that network and all it's falkiness
> and you'll be running back to TWC with open arms.
> 
> On 6/11/07, bak <bak at picklefactory.org> wrote:
> >
> > Shorter TWC: "We advertise our premium service as 8Mbps.  However, we
> > reserve the right to not give you that if we feel like it, or to
> > arbitrarily give you less based on rules which you are not allowed to
> > know."
> >
> > I agree that a little competition would be a good thing.
> >
> > At least they're not Pure Evil like Comcast with their limited unlimited
> > service.  This is just Mostly Evil.
> >
> > I used to have DSL, but they could barely deliver 1Mbps down and 200Kbps
> > up.
> >
> > --bak
> >
> > OlsonE at aosa.army.mil wrote:
> > > ...read on past this article for my 2c.
> > >
> > > http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18468495
> > >
> > > TIME WARNER ANNOUNCES INTRODUCTION OF PACKET SHAPING TECHNOLOGY
> > > NATIONWIDE
> > >
> > > June 6, 2007 -- Time Warner today implemented a network management tool
> > > to improve the operation of the network for all subscribers. As a
> > > result, a small minority of users may experience slower speeds during
> > > peak hours when using certain applications that consume lots of
> > > bandwidth. You can address this situation by reducing your use of
> > > bandwidth-intensive applications during peak hours. "Peak hours" are
> > > generally in the evenings.
> > >
> > > "Packet shaping" technology has been implemented for newsgroup
> > > applications, regardless of the provider, and all peer-to-peer networks
> > > and certain other high bandwidth applications not necessarily limited to
> > > audio, video, and voice over IP telephony. Road Runner reserves the
> > > right to implement network management tools for other applications in
> > > the future.
> > >
> > > Customers are reminded of the terms of our Acceptable Use Policy at
> > >
> > >> help.rr.com/aup:
> > >>
> > >
> > > * The Road Runner service may not be used to engage in any conduct that
> > > interferes with Road Runner's ability to provide service to others,
> > > including the use of excessive bandwidth.
> > >
> > > * The Road Runner service may not be used to breach or attempt to breach
> > > the security, the computer, the software or the data of any person or
> > > entity, including Road Runner, to circumvent the user authentication
> > > features or security of any host, network or account, to use or
> > > distribute tools designed to compromise security, or to interfere with
> > > another's use of the Road Runner service through the posting or
> > > transmitting of a virus or other harmful item or to deliberately
> > > overload or flood that entity's system.
> > >
> > > Customers are further advised that efforts designed to circumvent our
> > > network management tools may be in violation of our Acceptable Use
> > > Policy and may result in account suspension without warning.
> > >
> > > ========================================================================
> > > ====================
> > >
> > > 2c.
> > >
> > > I don't agree with this for so many reasons ...and really wish we could
> > > choose between cable providers. I'd even be willing to pay MORE ...if I
> > > could get something like OOL (Optimum Online, for all my non
> > > north-eastern bretheren), or FIOS.
> > >
> > > But nooooo, the man's sticking it to me ...and I'm forced into Time
> > > Warner (if I want a broadband connection). I have their 8mb service
> > > (Premium), and after this month will be dropping it. Its not worth it. I
> > > hardly ever get the speeds they advertise (even if I'm on during
> > > non-peak hours), and my upload speeds are heavily throttled (25-50kbps)
> > > at best.
> > >
> > > Anyone else feel like this?
> > >
> > > /me equips Tin-Foil Hat +1
> > >
> > > ...what's to say they don't:
> > >
> > > - Change "Peak Hours" to be from 5am - 9am, and 5pm - 10pm M-F; 9am -
> > > 12pm and 5pm - 12am S-S?
> > > - Force users who use "encryption" aka, IPSEC, SSL+TLS ftp's, or some
> > > other form of encryption into switcing over to their "business" service,
> > > because home service should only be for surfing the web.
> > >
> >
> > --
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> >
> 