Comcast Is Not Telling The Truth, Level 3!

#Comcast Is Not Telling The Truth, #Level3 #comcastvoices  http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Level 3 is insisting that Comcast is set to cash in on the Level 3'd Netflix CDN responsibilities and not a exchange peering dispute. Well we all know that Comcast is not a real friend of Net neutrality but just riding along..

"the crux of the dispute was that Comcast now wants to charge for access at the local network level. "If I were handing off traffic to Comcast in New York and expecting them to deliver it in San Diego, I would expect to pay for that, But that's not what we're doing. We spent billions of dollars to get into this business and expect to use that infrastructure in an efficient way." Level 3 COO Jeff Storey said at the UBS Global Media & Communications conference this morning..

At the same time Comcast continue to play the peering dispute song.

"We can certainly understand Level 3's motivations. That company seems to have cut a very bad business deal to distribute content. Level 3 is apparently (and understandably) desperate about having committed to carry large volumes of traffic at unrealistic rates that bear no relationship to the market, or to the costs any of its competitors bear. So it comes as no surprise that Level 3 is reduced to making self-serving arguments. Or that it is being blatantly opportunistic in trying to tie its bad deal to the discussion of an "open Internet."" on their blog comcastvoices.

and that does not sound like a peering issue, You can read more and find links at DSLReports

Xfinity TV App, The Inside Scoop.

#Xfinity TV App, The Inside Scoop. http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
You may have already read bunch of news items and blog posts about Comcast's Xfinity TV App which alows one to use  iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch® as a remote control. Soon we will be able to turn any of those devices into a TV screens to watch your On Demand shows and movies. The App is coming soon to Android as well.
Now you get the inside scoop of what went into making the app from Engineer Sean Brown. Cool stuff, just like any other App development.

Comcast Resolves Net Neutrality, Is It Time To Xfinity?

#Comcast Resolves #NetNeutrality, Is It Time To Xfinity? http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
After FCC and the likes of Florida Attorney General began asking questions about traffic throttling and forging torrent packets, looks like Comcast is cleaning up the act and making ways for net neutrality.
Good timing as I am planing to leave AT&T broadband services after something like 16 years (If you count ISDN as broadband :). The only reason I stayed with AT&T because of the IP block I received, and most of my DNS runs from those IP address'. But now I am changing and I can save a lot of moola by going with Comcast Xfinity triple play!.
But one should not forget about net neutrality nor ignore as the issue is very much alive and brush up your knowledge on it. Two posts that collect a lot of information such as Comcast's lies about traffic throttling, packet manipulating, FCC and Florida Attorney General, found at DSLReports and Ars Technica.
Also do not forget to read Comcast's own blog post about the matter.
Hope Comcast has Business service for self employed.

Google Fiber for Communities Is Live

Google Fiber for Communities http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Google has just launched a site for providing information on it's Fiber to home initiative. The experimental fiber-to-home network aims to improve the broadband. I think as with many ISPs that is really need to be done. AT&T had the same copper wire and the wiring closets for last 15 years. The only upgrade that I saw, was they painted the roadside enclosure. Comcast on the other hand, upgraded the network twice I guess. Now Comcast runs fiber to our home but I have not used them yet.

The main benefit from the Google initiative will be : not some communities getting 1Gbps connectivity : the rest of the country will know what it takes to make such network work and cost.

1100 communities have responded to the Googles call and so have 200,000 individuals, including yours truly.

The site provides a lot of information for municipalities and legistative members to prod ISPs with. Because I doubt me switching from AT&T to Comcast after 15 years of continuous service will make AT&T change their ways.

But I wonder about areas without alternative services. Perhaps LTE and WiMAX services, speed tested here, will compete with 100 year old copper wires!.

Enjoy the 1,100 thanks, and visit the site and Google blog post. Link after the jump.

Official Google Blog: Introducing our Google Fiber for Communities website: "Google Fiber for Communities"

XFINITY, A Rebrabding Effort By Comcast, Will You Buy It?

Xfinity is still Comcast snapvoip.blogspot.com
Comcast is rebranding itself as "XFinity" and marching into many markets over the country with hopes of showing a new face. Currently we can see TV ads in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Boston and 3 other Comcast markets.

“Xfinity will stand for the best experience in the marketplace,’’ said David Watson, executive vice president of operations for Comcast’s cable TV operations.

But we hope XFinity will not carry BitStalker home. I was surprised to find Comcast is investing in such tools at the same time looking to rebrand itself. Perhaps it is a part of the game. Comcast's $30 billion effort to get NBC Universal, a multimedia company that owns the Universal film studio and television networks NBC, CNBC, and Bravo might explain the spending on Anti Piracy software. The acquisition is under intense scrutiny in Congress. If it get approved, the limits are at Xfinity.

But for me, the best explanation about XFInity, came from SlashDot,

 "Xfinity = the amount of time you'll be on hold if you call Customer Service."

You can read more ar Boston.com

.

COMCAST, COX and Time Warner Cable Funding An Anti Piracy Tool, BITSTALKER

Comcast Anti Piracy Tool BITSTALKER snapvoip.blogspot.com
With many torrent users worldwide and MPAA/RIAA being very active, at the first glance I thought the paper was funded by them.
The paper being "BITSTALKER: ACCURATELY AND EFFICIENTLY MONITORING BITTORRENT TRAFFIC" from University of Colorado. Boulder CO.
The researchers claim that their tool is more accurate and will eliminate false positives. But people involved with torrent sites and operators seem to be less impressed by the technology according to Torrent Freak.
Like torrent freak we too wonder why ISP's, major US ISP's at that, investing in this arena, which has been the field of RIAA/MPAA. ISPs usually remained neutral to the witch hunting coducted by them.
Following is an excerpt from the paper and for more descriptive account of BitStalker and positives and negatives of it at Torrent Freak, and slashdot (link after the jump)

This paper presents BitStalker, a low-cost approach to monitoring large BitTorrent file sharing swarms. BitStalker collects concrete evidence of peers’ participation in file sharing in a way that is robust to tracker pollution, highly accurate, and efficient. In contrast, the past and present investigative monitoring strategy consists of tracker server queries and ICMP ping probes. While this method is simple, it is also prone to a variety of significant errors, especially false positive identification, since this monitoring technique does not verify participation in the file sharing. We present an alternative monitoring strategy based on actively probing the list of suspected peers to obtain more conclusive evidence of participation in the file sharing. There are several aspects of our approach that warrant additional attention. In particular, a specific definition of what constitutes “evidence” in the context of file sharing across various legal systems should be explored. Also, the general legal issues that this type of monitoring exposes should also be investigated further.
Acknowledgments. The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions. We also thank Claire Dunne and the University of Colorado’s institutional review board for ensuring that this research was conducted with the highest of ethical standards. This research was funded in part through gifts from PolyCipher.

Plycypher is a  a broadband ISP consortium (COMCAST, COX and Time Warner Cable)

Torrent Freak,
Slashdot

Comcast COO, On A Plan To Change Customer Behavior, Not The Business Plan,

*&^%$ at the top snapvoip.blogspot.com

'An entire generation is growing up, if we don't figure out how to change that behavior so it respects copyright and subscription revenue on the part of distributors, we're going to wake up and see cord cutting.'

Like the techdirt mentioned, it is the perfect lifter upper for Comcast and it's shareholders because it will certainly increase the revenue. Provided the whole country is interested in making comcasters rich or listeners, including shareholders are as thick as the COO, whom Techdirt thinks in the weeds.
Yes if he continues, cord cutting actually might take place.
Techdirt

Comcast Clearwire Making WiMAX Waves In Oregon.

Comcast WiMAX in Oregon
Andy Abramson directed me to an article by Rethink-Wireless that shows Comcast had great plans when it partnered with Clearwire.
The combined service that includes WiMAX has been launched in Portland Oregon which continue to provide service to customers with combined fixed broadband, WiMAX (Comcast Speed 2Go) and Sprint EVDO plus WiMAX in areas where Clearwire is active.
The company will offer a metro plan and card that works within the WiMAX footprint area, and a nationwide plan and card that offers 3G everywhere, using the Sprint Clearwire.
While ago we reported the about the WiMAX Speed Test in the same area that reached 13Mbps from various positions that included a car moving at 60-70 MPH.
According to Rethink Wireless the pricing plans do seem attractive across all three companies, either combined or stand alone, depending on what you are looking for and where you want it!
"COMCAST is offering a 12-month introductory rate. For $50 a month, a subscriber gets 12Mbps home cable broadband and WiMAX, which is only a $7 premium over the cost of cable broadband alone (and includes a free Wi-Fi router). A national 3G add-on is an extra $20 a month and roaming to other Clearwire WiMAX markets is free. After the one-year trial the tariff goes up to $73 a month ($93 with 3G). There will be a $99 charge for a dongle (and other devices to follow in future), though people who commit to a two-year deal get the gadget for free.

Clearwire itself charges $20 a month for its in-home 'Clear' service, from $40 a month for mobile internet, and $50 a month for unlimited consumer roaming. It also has a creative range of pricing options, including sharing a connection between multiple devices, or taking up month-by-month contracts or short term passes (a day pass is $10, and customers can add an in-home voice option for $25). Sprint 4G is $80 a month with a two-year contract that includes 5Gb per month of 3G data and unlimited 4G bandwidth. All these plans enable consumers to get cutting edge mobile broadband capabilities - as use of dongles starts to take off, European-style, in the US - for a small premium."

Another good reason for me to shed AT&T DSL and go Comcast way if the service come to San Francisco Bay Area. Mind you, I have been a loyal customer of AT&T, for a long time. I Started my DSL service when PACBELL was still alive and kept it through SBC and now AT&T. Service continue to be the same, no improvements for what it looks like eons but the cost keep on rising.

I looking for better service for cheaper or the same price and Comcast has beeen very inviting.

Rethink Wireless

Andy Abramson

Tags: Clearwire WiMax Speed test, wimax, clearwire, comcast, Sprint, AT&T, DSL, PACBELL, SBC

Time Warner Cable "No DOCSIS 3.0" We Put It On Hold Because You Said No Bandwidth Caps!

TWC No Bandwidth Cap, No Wideband!
I am twice happy that I do not live in an area where Time Warner Rules. But Even if I did, I think I will not be having their internet service that they call broadband. In any case 5GB monthly cap they suggested while back was the crux of road runner crap!
But now they seem to be laying more crap so their customers can stp on. According to Alex Dudley, VP of public relations for Time Warner, the wideband service, DOCSIS 3.0, is on hold because they could not launch tiered pricing. Time Warner planned to roll out both the services at the same time, therefore they are both on hold now.
Dudley on his twitter feed;
"@netpro2k It doesn't...just that the rollout was scheduled with the trial and now all of it is on hold"
@AlexTWC
He has also mentioned that the biggest cost associated with wideband roll-out is bandwidth allocation. Are sure it is not per house passed? I read some where that it costs us some where around $750 per house passed USA while Japanese do it for $20. I think what they refer to as bandwidth allocation is the infrastructure upgrade. They want you to pay for their network setup? I think the wolf is catching up!

All the while, Comcast started rolling out DOCSIS 3.0 last year, announcing this Tuesday that it had expanded into the San Francisco Peninsula. Yes Show them how it is done!

Good to be living in the San Francisco Bay Area!

Read more at PCMAG. "TWC: No Bandwidth Caps? Fine, No Wideband"

Tags: DOCSIS 3.0, Time warner Cable, comcast, wideband service

Does AT&T Deliver? Google Voice Rescues Us From AT&T's Failure.

AT&T Fails, Google Voice Rescues.
With All the good things and bad things with AT&T, which is my primary carrier seem to be in question.
Recently I had my phone section of the resident connection go down (Bunch of our neighbors did too). But the DSL connection on the same copper line worked. The way the line got affected, (Static, loss of dial tone, incoming caller ID loss, and finally no connection, all happened gradually) pointed to a switch somewhere than a line problem.
But try getting your information to AT&T, you have to go through very inefficient automated trouble ticket generation process which always leads to technician visit arrangement. That itself is not a problem but it takes two days to get someone over. They are rigid about times as well, four hour time slots that you need to be at home. So for a problem that started on Tuesday night, they will only attempt to look at on Friday afternoon.
Luckily we had Google Voice and were able to solve our problem by routing incoming calls to our cell phones and home phone. We also discovered that we could call Japan for less than half what AT&T charges, through Google Voice. That is another loss for AT&T as we spend 6-8 hours of calls to Japan monthly, in addition to Germany and The Netherlands.. Now All those calls might get routed to Google Voice. Thank you Google Voice and GrandCentral (Where we setup our accounts).
So continuing with AT&T, Friday comes, someone starts checking the line, realize that it is not a line problem, gives us a call saying it is been fixed. (No visits necessary) It could have been solved simply and faster with less cost to AT&T as well. What about my four hours?.
AT&T could also have solved this problem with those "Thomas Andersons" in India (No offense Indian support people, in fact I enjoy talking to them, mostly when I get help to re-register my Microsoft products when the software / Microsoft thinks they are not genuine) with simple tools and fix your switch (at least assign it to a tech), and got us talking to whomever we want in a short time. Less cost, less frustration and happy customers!
We have been a customers of AT&T (Pacbell, SBC) for more than twenty years and we have a monthly bill of more than $300 combined wireless, DSL and phone bills, (Home only, Business phones and services we pay more). Have managed to stay trouble free for long stretches. But since AT&T came on board, we have had more trouble than with both Pacbell and SBC combined for given time periods. Sometimes it helps to talk to a human, AT&T.
Lately we have also been reading those Comcast offers more closely. I will be able to get the same services for $100 less what we currently paying and even though we do not use, Comcast has already hooked us to their digital cable.
I hope Andy Abramson is right, at least regarding our AT&T wireless service.
Hope AT&T reads, it will be good for all.

Tags: AT&T, Pacbell, SBC, comcast

Time Warner Caps Monthly Data Rate Beyond Texas, Switch To Lesser Devils.

Time Warner Bandwidth Cap
Time Warner is Extending the its the draconian 40GB cap test in Beumont, Texas, to other cities. According to Business week, In April, Time Warner Cable will begin collecting information on its customers' Internet use in the Texas cities of Austin and San Antonio and in Rochester, N.Y. Consumption billing will begin in those cities later this summer. In Greensboro, N.C., the billing changes will begin sooner.

May it is time to switch to a service like, Comcast (250GB cap), AT&T (150GB). I am against the caps but 150GB is better than puny 40GB.

So may be it is drive by time warner to send you to theaters to watch movies as Gizmodo explained, "Every gig you overshoot your cap costs a dollar, meaning an HD movie download from iTunes could end up costing another $5 on top the $20 you're paying for the movie. Just four HD movies (assuming a conservative 5GB per flick) would swallow half of your allowed data for the month."

Forget about HD youtube and other tubes! Bandwidth caps Suck.

Businessweek via Gizmodo

Tags: Bandwidth cap, Time Warner, ATT, Comcast, HD, YouTube

RIAA, AT&T, COMCAST, And COX

RIAA, AT&T, COMCAST, COX
AT&T, one of the nation's largest Internet service providers, confirmed on Tuesday the company is working with the recording industry to combat illegal file sharing, according to CNet News.
Despite those shiny ads, looks like these big ISP's are playing along with RIAA. From all the articles I read so far it looks like the ISPs are just sending out letters and have no idea how they monitor or detect users who breaks the law.
Perhaps some light into the subject would help. But looking at back and forth and back responses by executives seem that is just a dream. So far Verizon seem to be the only one not following RIAAs orders.
You can read more at CNet which I reached via Gizmodo.

Tags: RIAA, AT&T, COMCAST, COX

Comcast Offeres WiMax With Cable

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Comcast is planing to offer mobile internet in Portland Oregon, using Clearwire Data Services that we wrote about earlier in WiMax Field Speed Test.
"We are very interested in being able to offer a wireless component to our products," said Burke, who was visiting Portland from Comcast's Philadelphia headquarters to help launch a new marketing campaign.
Portland, Oregon will be the first place that Comcast will be offering the WIMax service under it's mobile internet service. Most probably bundled with Triple Play, TV,Phone and Internet Service.
Oregonlive

Tags: Clearwire Data Services, comcast, Triple play, wimax

Comcast Testing Free WiFi.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/
After all the misgivings and protests, Comcast seem to have given into WiFI and is offering free WiFi on a beta test near NJ Transit commuter rail stations throughout the New Jersey region.
Comcast spokesperson Mary Nell Westbrook confirmed the trial. "We're reviewing all aspects of wireless data networks and gauging user interest as a value-added service to Comcast High-Speed Internet," says Westbrook. "Comcast Wi-Fi is a limited local trial -- a beta test service that is available at no additional charge to existing Comcast Internet customers," she says.
DSLReports News Article

Tags: Free WiFI, comcast, dslreports

Comcast Announces More Bandwidth For Home And Business Customers.

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Comcast announced that it is making the leap from broadband to wideband with the launch of next-generation DOCSIS 3.0. This jump will enable Comcast to introduce a brand new Internet speed tiers, in USA.

Some other countries like Japan has been providing 100MB fiber to home at about $60 a month for some time now but most US providers were slow to advance in to the higher bandwidth offerings. Comcast so far had the highest broadband bandwith provided in the most parts of the country.

According to the press release by Comcast, it’s new services will be available to millions of residential homes and businesses in parts of New England, including the Boston Metropolitan region and Southern New Hampshire, as well as areas of Philadelphia and New Jersey, in the coming weeks. These services also will be available in the Twin Cities where wideband was launched earlier this year. Comcast plans to widen it's wideband reach to 10 major markets within several months.

“Wideband is a game-changer for the industry. With wideband running over our next-generation fiber-optic network, we can greatly enhance our customers’ online experience immediately. And these speeds are only a preview of what’s to come—wideband will provide the capability of delivering dramatically faster speeds in excess of 160 Mbps in the future,” said Mitch Bowling, SVP and General Manager, Comcast Online Services. “Today’s announcement reaffirms our commitment to offer more speed to more homes than any other U.S. Internet service provider.”

Comcast will launch two new premium speed tiers with this wideband service to its residential and business class customers;

1. Extreme 50, offering up to 50 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 10 Mbps of upstream speed at $139.95/month.*

2. Ultra, offering up to 22 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 5 Mbps of upstream speed at $62.95/month.*

With 50Mbps one will be able to download a high-def movie (6 GB) in about 16 minutes, a standard-def movie (2 GB) in about 5 minutes and a standard-def TV show (300 MB) in a matter of seconds. I think Comcasts triple play will benefit from this speed jump, without any lags for a few users at a time.

Tags: comcast, fiber to home, Triple play, wideband, Extreme 50, Ultra, DOCSIS 3.0

Rulling On Comcast By FCC Expected This Week

The ruling, will not include a fine, but will require Comcast to stop blocking or slowing traffic to peer-to-peer sites like BitTorrent. Comcast will also be required to explain to consumers and the commission how it has blocked such traffic in the past, and publicly disclose how it plans to manage its network in the future.
Wall Street Journal thinks, "The FCC decision is likely to be challenged in court; if upheld, it would affirm the agency's right to play online cop and make sure Internet providers don't interfere with online traffic. FCC officials have grown more concerned about the issue as consumers watch more online videos, which take up growing chunks of bandwidth."
Infact I would love to have a online cop, like I love to have those cops that we see everyday on the streets.

Tags: Bandwidth Control, comcast, FCC, blocking peer-to-peer, online cop