[mdlug] OT: Comcast rant

[Michael]

On Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 6:03 PM, Michael Corral <micorral at comcast.net>wrote:

> 2009-02-21, Monsieur Michael a ecrit:
> > I was able to ssh into my home computer, and finally through a nice
> > tunnel was able to listen to the media at my house over a daap beacon. I
> was
> > in heaven.
> >
> > It appears that Comcast didn't want to keep me happy. I no longer have
> > access to my computer from outside.
>
> That's because you were violating Comcast's Terms of Service (TOS):
> http://www.comcast.net/terms/subscriber/
>
> Go down to Section 7 (Use Of Services), part b (Prohibited Uses of HSI)
> [HSI = High-Speed Internet]:
>
> "You agree not to use HSI for operation as an Internet service provider,
> a server site for ftp, telnet, rlogin, e-mail hosting, 'Web hosting' or
> other similar applications..."
>
> Also, from their Acceptable Use Policy, Section I. (Prohibited Uses and
> Activities), under "Technical restrictions":
> http://www.comcast.net/terms/use/#prohibited
>
> "use or run dedicated, stand-alone equipment or servers from the
> Premises that provide network content or any other services to anyone
> outside of your Premises local area network ("Premises LAN"),
> also commonly referred to as public services or servers. Examples of
> prohibited equipment and servers include, but are not limited to, e-mail,
> Web hosting, file sharing, and proxy services and servers;"
>
> Running an ssh server falls under that "similar applications" category
> (not to mention the streaming media). You *did* read Comcast's TOS
> when you signed up for them, right? Because you're bound by those terms
> when you do sign up. The fact that you were able to get away with it for
> a while just means they hadn't caught up to you yet. It was probably
> your bandwidth usage from the streaming media that tipped them off. :)
>
> I don't like the policy any more than you do, but that's the way it is.
> I do think that if you pay extra for a static IP then they allow you to
> run that kind of stuff. Check with Comcast.
>
> Michael
>

Yes, I read through all of this and actually asked the representative who
sold me the service, who read me this line in my Service Subscriber
Agreement, which aren't the same as the TOS you linked to:

>
> The Service function in some ways as a Local Area Network with each
> Customer constituing a node on the network. As such, users outside the
> Premises may be able to access the Customer Equipment and other equipment
> connected in some way to the Customer Equipment.


The agreement also mentions that they will dynamically provide me with an
external IP address, that I cannot have any domain names bound to, but
is available for my own use. I am not a legal expert by any means, but that
entire section is talking about 'private' versus 'commercial,' and I am
doing nothing 'commercial.' Also the use of server is vague and undefined in
either argument.

Fair enough, I can understand why they block these services. They can make
it clear that they are blocking these services to me. And they could have
made it clear when I signed up for the service. I have a TOS here that is
just as vague as the one you linked to, that also contradicts itself
equally.

I don't like sitting on the phone for 3 hours to then be given a non-answer.
I don't like multiple versions of TOS, which I am seeing between what I have
and what you linked to. It all feels deceptive and dirty.

Since becoming a Comcast customer, I have heard of all the limits placed and
bandwidth caps on the service. I still have not received a new TOS regarding
that. I will never go over that number (in or out) still. The streaming of
music is nothing compared to the bandwidth that I have seen Spyware and
Adware produce on Windows machines.

I would love a straight answer regarding this. Not some lines in a TOS that
are contradicted by the Service Subscriber Agreement I have in my hands
right now. Speaking of which, is there an SLA any of these services
provide?

Thanks, Michael