Comcast subscriber? No netflix for you!

[Cephius]

If you're a Comcast subscriber and you have another option I seriously urge you to consider leaving Comcast. The company is out of control and the amount of control they want to have over how you use the internet is frightening. A few notes from the last day or so:

In the past 24 hours Comcast has been exposed committing blatant abuses of its power over all things media.

The New York Times reported last night that the cable giant has threatened to block access to the popular online movie service Netflix unless the company that streams its films pays new and extortionate tolls. Earlier in the day, Comcast was caught red-handed trying to smother the marketplace for competitive Internet modems designed for use on its network -- a violation of fundamental Net Neutrality principles that allow you to choose what devices you want to use.

These are just the latest in a history of abuse by a company determined to become the 21st century's media gatekeeper. If Comcast gets away with these violations, it will be the beginning of the end of the experiment in information democracy called the Internet. What more reason does the Federal Communications Commission need to step up -- for once -- and protect the openness that is central to a better, more participatory and diverse media.

Taken as a whole, these abuses show us what a media monopoly looks like in the Internet age --- one company, consolidating its media power to squash competitors, to stifle innovation and free speech, and to gouge consumers.

This is a company that is opposed to everything free and open about the internet, and if they had their way would tell you what to watch, how to watch it, what router to use and charge you an asston for it. All on top of the absolute shithole that is their customer service and reliability. They're the same people who believe they can sensor what kind of traffic you have coming into your home, and even public hearings or blogs that offer opinions they don't agree with.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/timoth..._b_789786.html

tl;dr Comcast is the devil, get FiOS. If you can't get rid of Comcast, move.

[Melena]

I'd love to switch, but my options are Comcast (which has been good internet wise to us) or shitty AT&T DSL where I have to pay more for less. It sucks.

[Callisto]

FiOS is not available in my area and U-Verse is garbage. There's a pretty substantial amount of places where they basically have a monopoly do to inferior/no competition. Some of the stuff they're trying to do sucks, but there's little a lot of people can do outside of bitching about it. I don't particularly like them but I'm not about to pay twice as much to AT&T for 1/3rd the connection speed and none of the channels that I actually watch.

[jinkazama]

FML I just got a subscription to netflix...

[Callisto]

FML I just got a subscription to netflix...

As did a ton of other people, I'm pretty sure it's an empty threat, especially now that it's outed publicly. I'd be amazed if they actually blocked Netflix access.

[Cephius]

FiOS is not available in my area and U-Verse is garbage. There's a pretty substantial amount of places where they basically have a monopoly do to inferior/no competition. Some of the stuff they're trying to do sucks, but there's little a lot of people can do outside of bitching about it. I don't particularly like them but I'm not about to pay twice as much to AT&T for 1/3rd the connection speed and none of the channels that I actually watch.

That's the problem, they're a monopoly in a lot of areas. For all people complain about big government the FCC really needs to start policing ISPs better to stop shit like this from happening.

[Soa]

I have FIOS right now, but Verizon has such shitty customer service and they keep cutting channels from their lower packages and raising the prices. I want to get rid of them but my only other choice is Comcast who is even worse. The instant you can get quality streams for live sports online (for free or much much cheaper) I'm done with cable for good.

[Cephius]

FML I just got a subscription to netflix...

It'd be pretty hard for them to actually completely block netflix, but they could make it difficult and force people to use workarounds to stream stuff. The point is no ISP should be able to charge a "fee" for any kind of streaming traffic, or any kind of service for that matter.

[aurik]

Don't worry, they won't block it. They'll just QoS it to death.

[Sonomaa]

charter is blocking verizon from coming into TN so I have to deal with their sucky service or an even more sucky DSL service that is fed customers by character

give me LTE soon prz

[Callisto]

Don't worry, they won't block it. They'll just QoS it to death.

Netflix has been doing a pretty decent job of doing this to themselves recently, at least on the PS3

[Cephius]

Here's Comcast's response:

Level 3 has inaccurately portrayed the commercial negotiations between it and Comcast. These discussions have nothing to do with Level 3's desire to distribute different types of network traffic.

Comcast has long established and mutually acceptable commercial arrangements with Level 3's Content Delivery Network (CDN) competitors in delivering the same types of traffic to our customers. Comcast offered Level 3 the same terms it offers to Level 3's CDN competitors for the same traffic. But Level 3 is trying to gain an unfair business advantage over its CDN competitors by claiming it's entitled to be treated differently and trying to force Comcast to give Level 3 unlimited and highly imbalanced traffic and shift all the cost onto Comcast and its customers.

To quantify this, what Level 3 wants is to pressure Comcast into accepting more than a twofold increase in the amount of traffic Level 3 delivers onto Comcast's network -- for free. In other words, Level 3 wants to compete with other CDNs, but pass all the costs of that business onto Comcast and Comcast's customers, instead of Level 3 and its customers.

Level 3's position is simply duplicitous. When another network provider tried to pass traffic onto Level 3 this way, Level 3 said this is not the way settlement-free peering works in the Internet world. When traffic is way out of balance, Level 3 said, it will insist on a commercially negotiated solution.

Now, Level 3 proposes to send traffic to Comcast at a 5:1 ratio over what Comcast sends to Level 3, so Comcast is proposing the same type of commercial solution endorsed by Level 3. Comcast is meeting with Level 3 later this week for that purpose. We are happy to maintain a balanced, no-cost traffic exchange with Level 3. However, when one provider exploits this type of relationship by pushing the burden of massive traffic growth onto the other provider and its customers, we believe this is not fair. To use Level 3's own words:

"To be lasting, business relationships should be mutually beneficial. In cases where the benefit we receive is in line with the benefit we deliver, we will exchange traffic on a settlement-free basis. Contrary to [other ISPs] public statements, reasonable, balanced, and mutually beneficial agreements for the exchange of traffic do not represent a threat to the Internet. They don't represent a threat to anyone other than those trying to get a free ride on someone else's network."

The problem is, they already charge for data, bandwidth and all. Guess what, if you're an ISP charging a company fees because they're going to dump more data on you (and everyone else) is your fucking problem. It doesn't give you the right to demand fees or further increase the fees on your customer who you already charge out the ass. And I'm sure it's just a big fucking coincidence that Netflix is a direct competitor to your own services.

[Yabby]

I don't like comcast, but thats all i got. Fuck moving because i don't like my ISP LOL. Tell verison to get off their fucking ass and get fIOS in more area's instead.

[Atreides]

after a few months using FIOS, trying to use Cable/DSL feels like trying to use dialup. Just checking your email is excruciating lol

[jinkazama]

in the event that the FCC is stupid enough to let this request get approved then comcast better lift that 250GB cap if I'm going to be paying more per month for my service lol.

sucks cuz ATT is awful around here

[Yabby]

after a few months using FIOS, trying to use Cable/DSL feels like trying to use dialup. Just checking your email is excruciating lol

How fast can you get with it btw? Max for comcast in my area is 50down/6up

in the event that the FCC is stupid enough to let this request get approved then comcast better lift that 250GB cap if I'm going to be paying more per month for my service lol.

sucks cuz ATT is awful around here

I've yet to get an e-mail from these guys for going over, i know i've hit 350gb in a month before.

[Doombard]

Is it really that hard for someone to give these shitty ISPs competition? I have charter and I fucking hate it but there is no alternative.

[Atreides]

How fast can you get with it btw? Max for comcast in my area is 50down/6up

i have 20mbps down/5 mbps up for something like 40 or 45 a month but it's an old plan, the 3 plans verizon offers currently are:

15/5 $49.99
25/25 $64.99
50/20 $139.95

You can usually get it cheaper if you get your phone/tv through them as well, as part of a bundle pack.

[aurik]

Is it really that hard for someone to give these shitty ISPs competition? I have charter and I fucking hate it but there is no alternative.

Yes, because these companies own the government-funded "last mile" of the connection network. Which, by the way, is built on the public right-of-way.

[kuronosan]

What the fuck? I love my AT&T. A lot better than Time-Fucking-Warner and they don't offer FiOS here.

Yea, was once a comcast customer. Never again.