Comcast: No new traffic management plan yet

[Daniel ~]

Written by Daniel
Thursday, 21 August 2008
Some reports suggest that Comcast will slow traffic for heavy users for up to 20 minutes during times of peak network use
By Grant Gross, IDG News Service
August 21, 2008 | InfoWorld

will slow traffic for heavy users for up to 20 minutes during times of peak network use. [Frontpage....]

[PorPorMe]

Comcast is in the middle of a "Put a Spin on the Truth" campaign. I wonder if anyone listens to what is said.This one says: "It's the heaviest of users that are directly contributing to the degradation of the service for the other people on the network,"
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that what you pay X amount of dollars to Comcast for cable internet service? Smells like Comcast might be trying to set the stage for price packages like DSL does.
Saw on the news last nite that there is a move of some sort to force Comcast to Let subscribers pick the channels they want instead of packages of channels. I believe it was said the Canadians have something along those lines. Comcasts response was that it would cost the consumer more money because it's like a restaurant. Al-a-cart is always more expensive than the regular meal. Say what?!!
They must have been on short notice if that was all their publicity dept. could come up with.

[Gizmo]

There's a certain amount of truth to their statement.

Different content providers charge different fees for their content, e.g. Disney Channel will charge more for their feed than Bob's Garden Channel. In that context then, putting together your own package might well cost you more than a pre-built package from ComCast (of course, YOUR package would also most likely contain a vastly different mix of material than the pre-built one from ComCast, so it's really an apples-to-oranges comparison).

In addition, ComCast might be able to negotiate a better price with a provider if they can guarantee that everyone on their network will be getting a particular feed.

That being said, one still has to be sceptical. A certain moderate cost increase would probably be unavoidable with an al-a-cart system, but I wouldn't expect it to amount to more than just a few percent. Anything more than that should certainly cause raised eyebrows and questions to be asked.

[PorPorMe]

I see the logic in that way of looking at it. Now how about another. I'm paying $77 a month for what I believe is 180 channels. Say I watch 25 [that's a stretch!] You have a long way to go to convince me that picking 25 channels is going to cost more than a pkg of 180.

[Gizmo]

Originally Posted by PorPorMe

I see the logic in that way of looking at it. Now how about another. I'm paying $77 a month for what I believe is 180 channels. Say I watch 25 [that's a stretch!] You have a long way to go to convince me that picking 25 channels is going to cost more than a pkg of 180.

Again, as I said above, it's an apples-to-oranges comparison, and the modest cost increase I was referring to was in the context of two similar packages, one pre-built, and the other ala-carte.

Also consider that the 25 channels you routinely watch might be the 25 most expensive channels in the package; it's not out of the realm of reason that the remaining channels are 'fluff', that actually cost maybe $10/month, and are put in there for the sole purpose of being able to say that you are getting a 180 channel package. So, going from 180 to 25 channels, even though you are buying 1/7th the total number of channels, wouldn't necessarily result in you paying 1/7th the cost.

[Samuknow]

I would be willing to pay a little more if i had the channels i actually wanted.

They may be able to cut a deal if many order the same channels.

[Gizmo]

That's another aspect; it's not uncommon for the provider to cut a deal, e.g. "If you take Bob's Garden Channel, The All Toenail Channel, and the Growing Grass Network, we'll let you have Disney Channel for $20/month, otherwise, Disney is going to cost you $30/month".

In other words, things aren't as simple as they appear at first glance.

[PorPorMe]

Does get a little more interesting the more situations pop up.

[Daniel ~]

Bottom line as far as I can see, ... they don't want me to have what I want, they want me to have what they want me to have.....

Netflix is downloading movies directly to at lest one Blue Ray DVD maker's machines and in talks with others I would imagine. I know PS3 is capable of doing this as well.

I don't see anyone being able to control or direct tech for very much longer. The frontiers are becoming far to extended to predict....When everything is new chaos in sues and no man knows how order will re impose itself.

I would not be surprised to see us walk away from nearly every technology we have over the next 25 years.

150 years ago the printing press ruled the Internet! ":O}

The presses are still rolling...but we are walking away from them...

[robbie]

As long as they stay with the copiers I'll be happy!!

My thinking is, it's a free market. Don't like comcast... go with there competitor. I wish DSL did was it was designed to do and offer TV over the phone line.

Oh well... maybe it's time for me to check out Direct TV for $20 a month and get away from cable at $50 a month.

[Gizmo]

We've got Cable One here. They don't have a competitor, unless you count SBC with DSL. Given that SBC have been fined numerous times for failing to comply with FCC requirements to open their lines to competitors, one has to conclude that there effectively isn't any competition.

[Daniel ~]

Originally Posted by robbie

As long as they stay with the copiers I'll be happy!!

My thinking is, it's a free market. Don't like comcast... go with there competitor. I wish DSL did was it was designed to do and offer TV over the phone line.

Oh well... maybe it's time for me to check out Direct TV for $20 a month and get away from cable at $50 a month.

You can get great deals when you sign for a year. DTV HD beats the crap out of Comcast HD.

Internet...not so much...after YEARS they are still in Beta....

[dsio]

Think you're forgetting that although you may not watch it every single day, the scrapbooking channel (yes, we do in fact have it) is a valueable resource when you are feeling miserable about your life and want to see people that are even more pathetic than you are.

The woman goes out and buys a sheet of unbaked carbon fibre weave ~1 sq foot, at a cost of $90, then proceeds to glue it to a piece of cardboard with contact adhesive, before sandwiching it between a pair of plastic sheets, then cuts two squares out of it to put photos of her son in a peddle car in, then spends $25 on black extra thick puff paint and $30 "tyre track" stencil to make immitation tyre marks across the page and the photo corners, then says "and this amazing scrapbook page only cost $165 in materials and a few hours work!"

Which goes to prove that you're better off buying weed.

[Daniel ~]

You know.... something tells me this woman would make one HELL of an Over clocker! She might try specializing in cooling!

But yeah, in most cases, Where TV entertainment is concerned...your better off buying weed.":O}