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As of Thursday, October 26, 2006, my personal Comcast internet account has been suspended by Comcast citing "abuse".
I have rec’d no recent communications in any format from Comcast in reference to this suspension and can only conclude that this action is the result of an earlier "abuse" ticket from August, 2006.
I subscribe/did subscribe to Unlimited News as a newsgroup provider and did not use Comcast for newsgroup file/message retrieval.
Comcast permits any of their internet subscriber customers to download/retrieve a total of 2 (yes, two – this is not a typo) gigabytes of files/messages per month from their newsgroups. If you are in the middle of downloading a file and you have hit your 2 gb limit, you would be permitted to finish/conclude that particular download only with the amount above 2 gb coming off your next month’s quota/limit.
In reference to the August complaint I received one telephone call without any Caller ID around 8:30 PM one Thursday evening. According to an individual "John" of their Legal and Internet Abuse Division, I, as a Comcast internet subscriber, was guilty of "excessive usage" and was being warned that any further/repeated incidents of "heavy usage" would result in the suspension of my Comcast internet account. John went on to say that this potential suspension was at his/their sole discretion and could occur at any time, for any reason and without any prior notice, warning or communication whatsoever. John went on to say that my excessive usage could only be the result of my operating a business from my home and that I should contact Comcast Customer Service to subscribe to a commercial account. The cost of my personal account is/was $24.95 per month – introductory price. The cost of a commercial account is a little over $200.00 per month plus tax.
In my defense, I informed John that my newsgroup message/file retrieval was from Unlimited News and not from Comcast’s newsgroups so how could this be a concern of theirs?
John stated that Comcast did not care as to whether or not the message/file retrieval came from their newsgroups, someone else’s or whatever. The point was that it used "their bandwidth". Comcast and Comcast was now monitoring and
recording usage "of their top 20%" internet subscribers and was determined to rid themselves of these customers.
I asked John if the files your computer downloads when accessing a new/different web page were included in/on this "usage meter" total and he replied that any and all byte transference was included.
Since a different newsgroup provider feeds Comcast, I asked if my subscription were changed from Unlimited to their "preferred" newsgroup provider (GigaNews) would I still be in jeopardy of having my account cancelled.
Absolutely was the answer from John. "Newsgroup subscription firms and software for newsgroup reading are the main culprits for internet abuse and Comcast is making their demise our company’s top priority."
I stated that in addition to Unlimited News I used the news reader software from NewsRover. Could this be causing a problem I asked.
John stated that he felt he had made Comcast’s position very clear in this regard and that personally he would be glad when they were all gone.
"What was the number of byte pass through that was considered abusive?" I asked. "There is no set number it’s just the top 20%" was John’s reply.
"How can I monitor my total byte usage passed through Comcast?" "I don’t know," said John. "We have those numbers but we are not going to make those available to you."
Can you legally threaten disconnection of internet service for excessive usage under Comcast’s Terms of Service? According to John, the TOS of Comcast’s internet service are so broad in interpretation that they can pretty much do whatever they want. "Learn to live with it and find another ISP" he stated.
Yes, if you read or see much on the internet and, in particular, the newsgroups you may have become pretty calloused as to what’s credible and
what’s a load of BS.
Don’t take my word for it. If you’re a Comcast internet subscriber, call the customer service dept number listed on your bill and ask for the telephone number of their Legal and Abuse Dept.
The Abuse Dept vermin have clearly stated that the regular Comcast service representatives are not aware of the abuse dept’s actions and do not have access to their information. Comcast Abuse Dept numbers are 856-317-7272 or 856-324-2025 or 856-638-4000. You don’t/won’t know if you’re a "criminal" until after you’re "suspended".
<<<——<<< Remove Z for my
"temporary" e-mail address.
UPDATE!!
I have now been informed that I can make an "application for reconnection" at the end of the twelve month suspension period but the decision(s) of the abuse dept Gods is final, without appeal and covered under their TOS.
Right!
I intend to file suit within the next 10 days and would welcome any supportive information.
Big
I have rec’d no recent communications in any format from Comcast in reference to this suspension and can only conclude that this action is the result of an earlier "abuse" ticket from August, 2006.
I subscribe/did subscribe to Unlimited News as a newsgroup provider and did not use Comcast for newsgroup file/message retrieval.
Comcast permits any of their internet subscriber customers to download/retrieve a total of 2 (yes, two – this is not a typo) gigabytes of files/messages per month from their newsgroups. If you are in the middle of downloading a file and you have hit your 2 gb limit, you would be permitted to finish/conclude that particular download only with the amount above 2 gb coming off your next month’s quota/limit.
In reference to the August complaint I received one telephone call without any Caller ID around 8:30 PM one Thursday evening. According to an individual "John" of their Legal and Internet Abuse Division, I, as a Comcast internet subscriber, was guilty of "excessive usage" and was being warned that any further/repeated incidents of "heavy usage" would result in the suspension of my Comcast internet account. John went on to say that this potential suspension was at his/their sole discretion and could occur at any time, for any reason and without any prior notice, warning or communication whatsoever. John went on to say that my excessive usage could only be the result of my operating a business from my home and that I should contact Comcast Customer Service to subscribe to a commercial account. The cost of my personal account is/was $24.95 per month – introductory price. The cost of a commercial account is a little over $200.00 per month plus tax.
In my defense, I informed John that my newsgroup message/file retrieval was from Unlimited News and not from Comcast’s newsgroups so how could this be a concern of theirs?
John stated that Comcast did not care as to whether or not the message/file retrieval came from their newsgroups, someone else’s or whatever. The point was that it used "their bandwidth". Comcast and Comcast was now monitoring and
recording usage "of their top 20%" internet subscribers and was determined to rid themselves of these customers.
I asked John if the files your computer downloads when accessing a new/different web page were included in/on this "usage meter" total and he replied that any and all byte transference was included.
Since a different newsgroup provider feeds Comcast, I asked if my subscription were changed from Unlimited to their "preferred" newsgroup provider (GigaNews) would I still be in jeopardy of having my account cancelled.
Absolutely was the answer from John. "Newsgroup subscription firms and software for newsgroup reading are the main culprits for internet abuse and Comcast is making their demise our company’s top priority."
I stated that in addition to Unlimited News I used the news reader software from NewsRover. Could this be causing a problem I asked.
John stated that he felt he had made Comcast’s position very clear in this regard and that personally he would be glad when they were all gone.
"What was the number of byte pass through that was considered abusive?" I asked. "There is no set number it’s just the top 20%" was John’s reply.
"How can I monitor my total byte usage passed through Comcast?" "I don’t know," said John. "We have those numbers but we are not going to make those available to you."
Can you legally threaten disconnection of internet service for excessive usage under Comcast’s Terms of Service? According to John, the TOS of Comcast’s internet service are so broad in interpretation that they can pretty much do whatever they want. "Learn to live with it and find another ISP" he stated.
Yes, if you read or see much on the internet and, in particular, the newsgroups you may have become pretty calloused as to what’s credible and
what’s a load of BS.
Don’t take my word for it. If you’re a Comcast internet subscriber, call the customer service dept number listed on your bill and ask for the telephone number of their Legal and Abuse Dept.
The Abuse Dept vermin have clearly stated that the regular Comcast service representatives are not aware of the abuse dept’s actions and do not have access to their information. Comcast Abuse Dept numbers are 856-317-7272 or 856-324-2025 or 856-638-4000. You don’t/won’t know if you’re a "criminal" until after you’re "suspended".
<<<——<<< Remove Z for my
"temporary" e-mail address.
UPDATE!!
I have now been informed that I can make an "application for reconnection" at the end of the twelve month suspension period but the decision(s) of the abuse dept Gods is final, without appeal and covered under their TOS.
Right!
I intend to file suit within the next 10 days and would welcome any supportive information.
Big
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