VoIP Tech Chat

Dear Comcast,

Comcast...Cares?

I am leaving you this note on the fridge because I can’t bear to face you.  I can’t bear seeing the look in your eyes when I tell you that it’s over. This off again, on again blamefest has come to an end. I was always there to support you financially, but you never reciprocated with the kind of love, the kind of consistency I needed in my life.

This isn’t easy for me. As I close this chapter in the book that is yet to be finished, I know I will look back on our times together with some hints of fondness. I am sure we will cross paths again, someday. I hope that we can smile, exchange greetings, show each other a base level of respect and courtesy.

I have taken the liberty of leaving all of your things at your office, so, aside from this note, this is goodbye.

Or is it…

Read the rest of this entry »

Comcast fought the law, and the law lost. In a big win for Comcast and a big loss for net neutrality advocates, a Federal Appeals court ruled that the FCC lacks the authority to regulate how an internet provider handles network traffic. The case stemmed from an order in 2008 prohibiting Comcast from blocking bit-torrent traffic.

The 36 page ruling written by Judge Tatel (download here), cites many cases and regulations concerning both the FCC and their powers. While acknowledging that Congress gave the FCC broad powers to regulate rapidly changing technology, the Court stated that the FCC failed to tie it’s authority to regulate Comcast’s Internet service to any “statutorily mandated responsibility.”

Although I wished to have a stronger decision for Net Neutrality, I do welcome the reigning in of the FCC. It’s a lose/lose case (in my humble opinion). Either Comcast loses and the FCC grows stronger. Or Comcast wins and Net Neutrality grows weaker. Can’t say that the Average Joe would have won in the long run either way.

Additional Information:

• Download the Court ruling (VoIP Tech Chat)
• Court: FCC has no power to regulate Net Neutrality (cNet)
• US court rules against FCC on ‘net neutrality’ (AP via Yahoo!)

Wow… 3 podcasts this year. Yes, friends… we’re back and this time it’s personal. This week again try our 30 minute format and discuss such great topics as weight, personally identifiable information, search and seizure, comcast unreliability, and more.

As always, VoIP Tech Chat can be accessed from:

• VoIP Tech Chat (download mp3)
• iTunes
• And, thanks to popular request, you can also stream the chat by pressing the play button below

  Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Links of “Interest:”

• Comcast Outage and Phone Complaints
• No Target, You Cannot Scan my ID
• Follow Fred on Twitter
• Follow Patrick on Twitter (Yay!)

Comcast Outage?

We’ve been hearing complaints of Comcast service issues in both Nashville and Atlanta. Although the company’s network status page shows everything to be ok, reports from users indicate a severe problem affecting home, business, and voice service.

Frank Eliason posted through his @ComcastCares twitter feed the following message at 10:30am EST:

We are aware of internet and phone trouble in and around Nashville. Engineers are on it. more info soon

At this time there is no information from Comcast regarding the nature of the problem, the impacted services, or the expected resolution. As of 12:30pm the Comcast Network Health page still states “No Known Issues.” On the other hand, Comcast users report otherwise: Read the rest of this entry »

Santa??

Wow… 2 podcasts in a single month??? Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.

As always, VoIP Tech Chat can be accessed from:

• VoIP Tech Chat (download mp3)
• iTunes
• And, thanks to popular request, you can also stream the chat by pressing the play button below

  Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Links of “Interest:”

• Follow Fred on Twitter
• Follow Patrick on Twitter (Yay!)
• FiveRR
• Inventions of the 20′s

Ever had a story to report that was shocking, offensive, and hilarious all at the same time? Imagine this scenario, if you will:

You’re surrounded by family and friends watching the Super Bowl in your living room on your brand new, HD big screen TV. It’s the Steelers vs. the Cardinals and just when you think the Cardinals have all but lost, an amazing run by Fitzgerald switches the lead to Arizona and you can’t believe it. You watch the screen waiting for the replay, when instead of seeing a ball caught by Fitzgerald, you see a whole other kind of ball, courtesy of Club Jenna.

And yes, in this case, that ball is full “in your face” frontal male nudity. Literally, in your face.

Viewers in Tuscon, AZ watching the game via Comcast on KVOA channel 4 lived that exact scenario. For approximately 30 seconds after the touchdown, viewers in Tuscon watched the game transition from touchdown, to porn, and then right back to touchdown celebration. KVOA has posted this statement from Comcast:

Tucson, Arizona

Updated 8:30a — Comcast Releases Statement Apologizing to Customers

KVOA-TV is investigating pornographic material viewed during the Super Bowl by some Tucson area Comcast viewers.  Just after the last touchdown by the Cardinals, approximately 30 seconds of pornographic material was shown.  It appears this material was only viewed by some Comcast customers.

Comcast has released a new statement today:

“We are mortified by last evening’s Super Bowl interuption, and deeply apologize to our customers for the inappropriate programming.  We are aggressively investigating the situation including the possibility of foul play,” said Kelle Maslyn, Comcast Corporate Affairs Manager.

When we contacted Cox last night, we received this statement:

“We have received no evidence that any inappropriate material was broadcast on any of our channels during the Super Bowl.  The alleged incident appears to be isolated to the Comcast territory.  We will offer our support to all appropriate organizations to help them determine what happened,” says Mike Dunne, Cox Director of Media Relations.

KVOA is dismayed and disappointed that some Comcast customers and their families were subjected to this material.  Nielsen says, “KVOA will continue to investigate what happened to our clean signal and make sure our viewers get answers.”

If you would like to see the video, you can find it here: (although be warned, full frontal nudity not safe for work or kids or people who don’t like videos showing full frontal nudity):

• Gizmodo
• Comcast Superbowl Porn

Linksys WRT310N Wireless N Router

So in July, Fred purchased a new wireless router (Linksys WRT310N) for use with Comcast’s high speed internet. Having had used Linksys routers with VoIP for many years, Fred remained confident that the new model would perform nothing less than “awesomely.” Bottom Line: Fred was wrong.

When first installed, the Linksys performed well. Speed tests indicated downloads of 6 – 8 MBs and the wireless N router provided excellent range. Transfer speeds between wireless devices were excellent, VoIP devices performed well, and the 4 ethernet ports allowed non-wireless devices to integrate nicely.

Sometime around October, the home network started to act less that satisfactorily. The internet would randomly become accessible to only certain devices, the wireless signal would randomly “die,” and most annoyingly, the speed of the Internet became significantly slower (as in less than 1MB down and and around 1MB up).

As with most networking issues, the problems can be attributed to many sources. With the exception of Internet speed, most problems would immediately be resolved after rebooting the Linksys router. At first, Fred incorrectly thought that Comcast was to blame for the slow speeds… and yes, it was an incorrect thought. To test this, the modem was connected directly to a device; bypassing the Linksys. Download speeds topped 15MB.

Apple Airport Extreme

After switching back and forth and reproducing results consistently, the connection speed through the Linksys never topped more 1.5MB down. No matter what settings were modified, the speed simply did not increase.

Enter the Apple Airport Extreme (imagine Fred really emphasizing “Extreme,” kind of like Dan Cortese from MTV Sports… and yes it’s an early 90’s reference). With the exception of the iPhone, Fred has been very happy with Apple products. Although the Airport Extreme has only 3 ethernet ports, the router does have a USB port and built in support for USB printing and/or shared drives (with a USB hub, you can do both). The Linksys does not natively support printing or shared hard drives.

Set-up was simple, although different than the Linksys. And, all techs know, different is never a day in the park. That being said, very simple, very quick, and up and running within 5 minutes. Connecting an ethernet switch to one of the Airport’s ethernet ports allowed additional wired devices to connect at Gigabit speed.

Oh, the download? The Linksys WRT310N would hit the wall at 1.5MB. The Airport Extreme? 20MB down, 3MB up.

Speed Test from SpeakEasy.net

TMCnet reports a 44% increase for phone revenues in the 2008 3rd quarter. Although new subscribers have slowed, Comcast anticipates an additional 2 million users by the end of the year.