Comcast in Simple Terms

What is “Performance with Power Boost (Download speeds up to 12 Mbps)?” It is a system set for failure. Comcast has been in the Hot Seat this year for “Network Management” issues. First things first, you signed up for Comcast service most likely because it was supposed to be fast, and it is the only “true” broadband available in your area (sounds like a monopoly). Comcast does have its moments when it is fast, but also has a “rush hour” feature that Comcast does not share this with you until you call to complain that your internet is slow.
Here is non-technical look at the physical layout Comcast uses. Pipes are the best way to describe cable networks. There is central watering hole that feeds the town, from there the water is pumped out to neighborhoods. Along the way these pipes get split into subgroups and are smaller in size. By the time a pipe gets to a section of houses it is split one more time. So there are now 8 houses sharing an 8 meg connection.

this design was okay to use 8 years ago, but companies such as Comcast have since inserted features like VoIP into an already busy infrastructure. With a new voice communication, and rich media content growing in size and frequency the old system is struggling to keep up.
So what is Comcast doing about this emergence of communications? They are capping internet usage. If you use more than 250 gig’s in a month, plan on being financially penalized $1.50 per gig over allotted bandwidth (source). Most people won’t use that kind of bandwidth in a month, but Comcast should not be allowed to invoke such a cap in the first place. The tenet behind internet usage is “pay for service, get what you pay for.” Testimony of GEORGE OU (source) states that VoIP uses 988% percent more bandwidth than a “heavy web surfer”. So does this mean if you use your phone while you back up your hard drive, you will have to wait until next month to use your system again to avoid extra charges?
Another Comcast catastrophe is the marriage agreement they have with Pando. It is called the “P2P Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.” Pando claims they will revolutionize file sharing, and help free up ISP’s bandwidth mess. How Pando works is, all users have to download the pando software, and then leave their computer on all the time. The frame work is to allow a user’s pc to act as a server. Here is a snippet from the pando site “Your consumers serve as an expanded content delivery network, as content becomes popular, more of it is served by your consumers.” How does this create a “safe and secure” way to file transfer? We all know nothing on the web is absolutely safe, let alone anything Comcast has any control over. Remember when hackers called Comcast and told them to fix their security issues, and Comcast didn’t listen? Read the story if you missed it (source)
Some of the other issues Comcast has faced this year are non-profit groups whose goal is to make sure companies like Comcast play fair. Free Press is a major contender in fight against Comcast, and we urge you to at least take a look at their site http://www.savetheinternet.com. You might also be interested to see who is in their coalition, some very prominent people and foundations are in support of them.
The end result is Comcast has old technology in place for serving your internet needs. They want police their users so that they are not forced to upgrade their lines of communications. We all know that if Comcast has to upgrade their equipment, they will pass the bill on to the consumer. This in turn would drive business away, as it would be too expensive to buy and install upgraded equipment. Some parts of the United Sates have the luxury of switching to the new fiber optics or better known as Fios. Look at what this user shows for a Comcast versus Verizon speed test . But, until the time comes for you to be able to switch, we ask that you help in the fight so that Comcast cannot set a pattern of them being the “Internet Regulators.”