Comcast files FCC impotence suit

Comcast

I find it funny how comcast complains that they need to manage traffic, and how 5% of their users use 90% (give or take) of their network, however a friend on mine on comcast got a letter, telling how they are going to be offering 150mbps (down) and 100mbps (up) fios connections.

With the caps they are placing on their service, what are they gonna do to users who sign up for this service and then attempt to fully use it? (math may be wrong, but doesnt this mean you would hit the cap in about an hour?)

@darkwolf

If you normally eat a reasonable meal at a restaurant and then one day they offer you an all you can eat deal do you stay there eating constantly till, ala Mr Creosote, you explode?

On VM I went from 2mbps to 20mbps (and yes I do get 20mbps) but has it increased the amount I download? Possibly a little bit, maybe 20%, but in general the speed is more useful because of its raw speed than because of the maximum amount you can download in a 24 hour period.

@Paul

"...do you stay there eating constantly"

Actually, Dilbert was raised solely by his mother because his dad did exactly that.

Bad example? Maybe, but comparing a buffet to a net connection is a bad analogy...

Shaw Communications

Canadian internet provider Shaw communications were pressured by their users into admitting that they were P2P throttling.

Luckily, while they didn't relent on their throttling, it was exposed that their crap Elacoya routers/bandwidth throttlign boxes were unable to recognize encrypted bittorrent packets.

So as far as I know, the morons who don't know how to configure their clients still get capped, and those with a little know-how can squeeze around their blocks without a problem.

Haven't used BitTorrent in ages, though. It seemed neat at the start, but the novelty wore off. Just give me a good fast FTP with Resume and I'll be fine.

@Paul

"If you normally eat a reasonable meal at a restaurant and then one day they offer you an all you can eat deal do you stay there eating constantly till, ala Mr Creosote, you explode?"

I don't use BitTorrent, and my internet usage is pretty low, so I'm in no danger of reaching any reasonable cap. But I still feel the need to respond because comments like this get under my skin.

The amount of data you request via downloading (or provide via uploading) is completely irrelevant. There are three simple points that need to be made:

1. Comcast claims you get "up to" a specified bandwidth, 8Mbps down and 1Mbps up in my case.

2. Comcast claims you have unlimited usage.

3. You pay a monthly subscription fee for the service specified in those first two points.

I could add a fourth point, in that Comcast explicitly promotes their cable internet service as being used for downloading and streaming music and movies. This is what they show in their television advertisements, so it's not unreasonable for people to participate in actions that are explicitly promoted in the advertisements.

Given these points, it would be logical to conclude that you are allowed to use your full bandwidth all day long without penalty. Now, if Comcast wants to remove "unlimited" and instead specify a cap, that would be fine. Then people would know that it is a limited capacity they can consume for their monthly subscription payment. But Comcast doesn't want to do that. They want to use the word "unlimited" while providing a limited service. In other words, they feel the only way people will pay for their service is if they advertise and sell it under false pretenses.

For people that like analogies, how about comparing your cable or DSL line to a T1 line? I know, you don't like that analogy because a T1 line is much more expensive than a cable or DSL line. But it's the most fair analogy, as the points are identical -- they each promise a maximum bandwidth and unlimited usage for a specified monthly fee. The difference is that with a T1 line, you're actually able to use your full bandwidth for as long as you want.

@ Paul

"If you normally eat a reasonable meal at a restaurant and then one day they offer you an all you can eat deal do you stay there eating constantly till, ala Mr Creosote, you explode?"

Actually, at an all you can eat, I have been known to eat more then I normally would, considering that as I spend about 15+ hours a day at a comp, eating a decent meal is rare.

However, when it comes to internet speeds, currently I have a 16mbps/2mbps connection. On average, I may use only a small percentage of said connection, BUT if im attempting a large transfer between systems, I expect to get my 16mbps connection ( in reality, due to transfer rates between systems, congestion, and other junk, it may be lower, however anything less then 13mbps/1.5mbps and I complain).

I do NOT expect, that the 2 or 3 days a month I actually use the connection to the fullest for a few hours , to suddently find myself stuck at 2mbps the rest of the month.

Now for example, if I had a 150mbps/100mbps connection, if i needed to upload a file, I would expect to get a decent speed as thats what im paying for, so I should get it.

http://www.speedtest.net/result/319044780.png my connection, done at time I was writing this reply, while also connecting to my work. When ive seen it below 13mbps/1.5mbps a quick call to my cable company, and I am usually back up to speed, or in rare cases (about once a year) I get a new modem from them.