Comcast Can't Fill Seats With Comcast Supporters; Skips FCC Hearing Entirely

from the we'll-just-take-our-cable-and-go-home dept

Thu, Apr 17th 2008 12:04pm — Mike Masnick

Back in February, when the FCC held a hearing about Comcast's secretive traffic shaping efforts, Comcast stacked the deck to some extent by hiring people off the street to fill seats and cheer for Comcast's position. Partly in response to outrage over such practices, the FCC scheduled a new hearing, to be held today at Stanford. Perhaps Comcast realized that without paying people to fill the seats, the crowd might be a bit more hostile. So, with that in mind, it felt the best strategy was to not show up at all. Yes, despite it being a hearing about Comcast's practices, Comcast has (at the last moment) sent notice to the FCC that it won't be participating, claiming that it said everything that needed to be said back when it had a "friendly" audience at the last hearing.

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Filed Under: fcc hearings, traffic shaping
Companies: comcast, fcc

32 Comments

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RandOm, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:26pm

a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
how is it that comcast still has any consumer base? I mean I see stories floating around the media everyday about the retarded decisions they make and I can't understand why anyone would rely on them for any product or service lol. I say we get the guys from Improveverywhere.com to show up at their next PR event any see how they respond muwwhaa.
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- tatheg, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:31pm
  
  Re: a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
  Because, when you are the only donkey in town the folks have no other choice but to ride it.
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  - TheTraveler, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:32pm
    
    Re: Re: a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
    Damn you posted while I did... you beat me to it! :)
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  - Anonymous Coward, 17 Apr 2008 @ 1:36pm
    
    Re: Re: a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
    I have two choices where I live DSL provided from my town or wireless through canopy, I chose wireless because it had the best speed...6 Mbit up and down vs maybe 1.5 Mbit down and 256KB up. If Comcast were in my area I still would go with canopy cause of the speeds. That is ALL I care about I'm smart enough to manage how I utilize my internet torrents and all.
    
    If comcast were in my area and had an offering similar to the speed I get now I would switch to them without a second thought but they don't why? only they know.
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- TheTraveler, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:31pm
  
  Re: a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
  The problem is there is still a large portion of the country that doesn't have the option! Because Verizon will not come to there house and dish just sucks!
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- Powerkor, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:32pm
  
  Re: a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
  I'm one of many without any other internet option and doesn't want satellite tv.
  
  Verizon is being very slow to implement anything in my area and I heard they suck just as much anyway. Either way, customers are losing.
  
  I was debating on getting Dish Network, but I don't know anyone who has it.
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  - JS Beckerist, 17 Apr 2008 @ 1:46pm
    
    Re: Re: a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
    While I don't suggest getting it if you play any FPSs or use VoIP, I use it fairly regularly for VPNs, downloading (roughly 500kb/s down once it gets going, though your bandwidth IS limited monthly) and most other functions.
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- Anonymous Coward, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:35pm
  
  Re: a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
  "how is it that comcast still has any consumer base?"
  
  Simple. Here in the area of southwest WA state that I live in you have two choices for internet: Comcast or Qwest.
  
  Comcast does Cable. Qwest does DSL. Qwest service here is really really bad. Daily at every node they have a work truck out and during certain times of the day you have essentially dialup.
  
  Comcast's network is the better choice availble in the market.
  
  Actually, I haven't had any issues with Comcast here. Not even their 'traffic shaping' things that have been going on. And yes, at the time that started I had used torrents.
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  - matt, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:46pm
    
    Re: Re: a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
    you will never see the issues with traffic shaping. Do you think they're just going to give you a notice when they do it? Hell no.
    
    Want to see how bad it is? Run network monitor in azureus while you download a torrent. Watch the normal reset rate while downloading. Now, run it after you finish and/or when you seed. Ain't it grand that the reset rate goes from 3-5% to around 50-60%?
    
    Sheesh, learn what that traffic shaping "thing"is, so that you can see when its done.
    
    They don't stop you from downloading. They stop you from sharing (even legal, legitimate things).
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  - mark, 17 Apr 2008 @ 2:17pm
    
    Comcast in Portland, OR
    No issues here either. I have a little building a few blocks from here with a Comcast sign on the fence. The speed checker websites tell me I've got just under 10Mb downstream and 400Kb upstream, and I don't have to deal with Qworst. I've had the Triple Advantage for many months, phone, digital TV and internet, with only short sporadic hiccups and no major issues. The only issue I have with them is the remotes wear out too fast.
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- matt, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:38pm
  
  Re: a great decision by a major cable/internet provider
  I agree with the IE group idea, however
  there is nobody else that comes close on speeds in my area, even as crappy as comcast's policies and service are. Not even remotely.
  
  It's 6meg down/40KB/s up (aka turd on a log), or its like 2megs down/256kb (seriously advertised at) from anyone else whatsoever.
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micmac, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:33pm

Lack of choice?
Many of us are using Comcast for lack of alternatives. (But you knew that -- or should have.)
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Powerkor, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:36pm

One day, there will be a choice (hopefully google cus I have a habit of liking them) and then I can tell comcast to go fuck themselves.
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TheTraveler, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:40pm

"friendly" audience
The fact that they don't show up because of a non "friendly" audience, just proves that there customer base is falling. There is no excuse for there ignorance! Now is the time if Verizon was smart, they would strike and do a sweep across America, offering FIOS to people in remote locations. They would crush the Comcast customer base hands down! Comcast would be caught like a 12 year old boy with his pants down rubbing one out to his sister in the shower!
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Randy Moore, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:41pm

Ditto what the AC (#7) said
I have a choice for my internet service up here NW of Chicago. It's either AT&T (or one of it's resellers) or Comcast. I chose (and will continue to do so) Comcast. Why? Because even though they suck as a company, thier internet service is more reliable, and faster than AT&T's (at least for the moment). I haven't noticed any slowdonwns in my service using Bitorrent, or anything else for that matter.
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- Powerkor, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:46pm
  
  Re: Ditto what the AC (#7) said
  Your ethical mojo is lacking friend.
  
  Suck it up and watch Comcast burn in the fiery abyss of the cyber-space wastelands; caught in the endless fiber-optic spider webbing of customer support nightmares in which there will be no escape from the inevidible crumbling base of support and the promise of alternatives.
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  - TheTraveler, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:57pm
    
    Re: Re: Ditto what the AC (#7) said
    As Comcast spirals downward into the bleak technological oblivion its so desperate trying to expel itself from, I will take pleasure in knowing that I was there to witness the start of there exponentially speed driven ignorance in trying to divert the intelligence of its customer base away from the fact that they wish to take control of every bite that is forged through the internet! Since they failed at this, they will pander about with there thumbs in places that is reserved for bodily waste removal and attempt to come up with a ply able excuse for there already demeaning existence. And again I scoff at there so called organization and CEO for the thought of even trying to restrict a “Free” internet base to its customers!
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Joe Smith, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:50pm

spam
If the bas***ds can identify and traffic shape file sharing why the heck can't they put a stop to spam?
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- Powerkor, 17 Apr 2008 @ 12:55pm
  
  Re: spam
  Because spam doesn't use 10000000GB of up/down.... aka it doesnt cost them money...aka they don't have to improve their network because of it...
  
  you can be the first one to prove me wrong.... actually, lets all prove them wrong and start the first SPAM torrents.
  
  label your torrents with the title SPAM_THIS_COMCAST
  make the files 1-10GB and lets share junk with each other until with cripple Comcasts network
  
  RALLY ALL WHO HATE COMCAST. SPAM TORRENT THEM :P
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  - Billy, 17 Apr 2008 @ 1:40pm
    
    Re: Re: spam
    You are so uninformed it's not even funny. E-mail does use up serious amounts of bandwidth and is a huge issue for a company/ISP. This is why spam filters & blacklists are so important.
    
    And sharing junk on the p2p networks is futile & a waste of resources. If you want to hurt them then just go to thepiratebay and seed they're top100.
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    - Powerkor, 18 Apr 2008 @ 4:50am
      
      Re: Re: Re: spam
      I beg to differ. In terms of bandwidth, i feel torrents use more bandwidth than spam, but thats just me.... dont tell me im misinformed for having an opinion. That fact is that it will take 500 emails to make up one mp3 (if not more)
      
      But I see you have all your facts straight, you've collected all the reports and analyzed the data. I can tell, because you use phrases like 'serious amounts'.
      
      Do me a favor and shut your fucking mouth billy boy.
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    - TheTraveler, 18 Apr 2008 @ 5:19am
      
      Re: Re: Re: spam
      Billy have you ever even looked at network traffic patterns? Or are you just pulling shit out your ass like a mentally retarded magician on crack? Email in itself does cause some congestion when attachments are added that are larger then 2MB, however the controversy here is over SPAM mail… which is any ware from 1K to 50K (If there is a lot of pictures for fools like you to click on). While the size of one normal Mp3 is about 3MB (That’s 3,000K since you don’t have a clue as to what your talking about). So let’s do some simple elementary school math shall we.
      
      3,000/25 = 120
      
      So what we have here is on average it takes 120 Spam mail letters to equal 1 small Mp3. So if you download 1 song a year, you have to receive 120 emails from Nigeria to compensate the bandwidth.
      Furthermore, when looking at network traffic, a download of 3MB all at one time not throttled will fill your pipe up, causing slowness and congestion, unless you have QoS or some other form of traffic shaping… even if it where a large spam mail, a 50K file will pull fairly quickly and have it be in your inbox waiting for you.
      So before you open your mouth and pollute the air like a coal company from 1960 with out any air filters, do some math and know what your talking about!
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      - Powerkor, 18 Apr 2008 @ 5:22am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: spam
        Amen.
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Alimas, 17 Apr 2008 @ 1:23pm

In my Area
In NH its Verizon DSL or Comcast cable internet.
And I'm only blessed with those choices cause I live in the states only urban environment, the rest of the state gets Verizon or nothing.
And between the two Comcast's cable is way better despite the shaping. The DSL is far slower and terribly unreliable. My poor girlfriend has to deal with it and its horrible service.
And they have no plans to even bring the FIOS up here.
Bastards.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Apr 2008 @ 1:41pm

Bring on at&t's U-Verse. If Comcast were to lower their high prices, I would consider staying.
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Oh So Solly, 17 Apr 2008 @ 2:00pm

Here in NJ, it's either Comcrashed or Verizon DSL, and as sucky as Comcrashed is, it's better than DSL. I'd use Dish for TV, except the Comcrashed extortionists charges you less for cable and internet than they do for internet alone. That, and they forgot to put a filter on my basic cable line, so I get all the analog channels.
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Nick (profile), 17 Apr 2008 @ 3:17pm

Freepress.net should have the audio soon. Lessig gave a great speech. I listened to the stream live.
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Bill, 17 Apr 2008 @ 4:31pm

Talk about an anti-Comcast article
Not sure which reason is right, the one that this site gives or the one at DSLreports, but this article seems to have a very anti-Comcast theme behind it.

"Comcast Chief Technical Officer Tony Werner was invited to testify at this hearing. He denied, citing a lack of preparation and family issues as the reason. Comcast also says that the issue isn’t just about them so they don’t need to be there. They assure people that they won’t be filling the room with seat-warmers this time around."

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/FCC-Net-Neutrality-Meeting-at-Stanford-Today-93665
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grumpy old fart, 17 Apr 2008 @ 6:22pm

It's Comcastic
I would rather use dialup that send those asshats a check every month.

I do not NEED web 2.0 flashy crap.
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Ferin, 18 Apr 2008 @ 4:53am

Unbelieveable
What a bunch of asshats. The FCC should force them to come to a hearing.
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steve, 18 Apr 2008 @ 5:24am

Comcast
I've never been more disapointed with a service provider as I have been with Comcast. The very instant that something acceptable comes around I'll switch.

They have us by the danglies with both TV and Internet in a sub-rural environ where there are no other choices.

Their monopoly allows them to behave in a manner that is beyond arrogant.

I'd boycott if I thought I could get others to join me !
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Powerkor, 18 Apr 2008 @ 5:25am

Just to use the word 'asshat' again. Keep the 'hat' trick going. Hoorah.
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