Comcast thinks it ok to install public wifi in your house

TR Shaw tshaw at oitc.com
Thu Dec 11 14:23:22 UTC 2014


Seems to me that they (Bright House Networks, Cox Communications, Optimum, Time Warner Cable and Comcast) are effectively operating a business out of your house and without a business license.  I am sure that this is illegal in many towns and many towns would like the revenue. 

In fact does this put the homeowner at risk since they are effectively supporting a business running out of their house?

Tom

On Dec 11, 2014, at 9:02 AM, Scott Helms <khelms at zcorum.com> wrote:

> All of the members of the CableWiFi consortium have been.
> 
> Bright House Networks, Cox Communications, Optimum, Time Warner Cable and
> Comcast.
> 
> http://www.cablewifi.com/
> 
> Liberty Global, the largest MSO, also does it and this year announced an
> agreement with Comcast to allow roaming on each other's WiFi networks,
> though that is not extended to the other members of CableWiFi at this time.
> 
> http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/comcast-and-liberty-global-announce-agreement-to-connect-u-s-and-european-wi-fi-networks
> 
> 
> Scott Helms
> Vice President of Technology
> ZCorum
> (678) 507-5000
> --------------------------------
> http://twitter.com/kscotthelms
> --------------------------------
> 
> On Thu, Dec 11, 2014 at 8:53 AM, Ryan Pavely <paradox at nac.net> wrote:
> 
>> http://bgr.com/2014/05/12/cablevision-optimum-modem-wifi-hotspots/
>> 
>> I thought cablevision has been doing this for years.
>> 
>> I had a higher level tech at mi casa within the last two years and he
>> suggested their goal was to get enough coverage to start offering CV voip
>> cell phones.  "pay a little less, for not guaranteed coverage'
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>  Ryan Pavely
>>   Net Access
>>   http://www.nac.net/
>> 
>> On 12/10/2014 9:35 PM, Jeroen van Aart wrote:
>> 
>>> Why am I not surprised?
>>> 
>>> Whose fault would it be if your comcast installed public wifi would be
>>> abused to download illegal material or launch a botnet, to name some random
>>> fun one could have on your behalf. :-/
>>> 
>>> (apologies if this was posted already, couldn't find an email about it on
>>> the list)
>>> 
>>> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/10/disgruntled_
>>> customers_lob_sueball_at_comcast_over_public_wifi/
>>> 
>>> "A mother and daughter are suing Comcast claiming the cable giant's
>>> router in their home was offering public Wi-Fi without their permission.
>>> 
>>> Comcast-supplied routers broadcast an encrypted, private wireless network
>>> for people at home, plus a non-encrypted network called XfinityWiFi that
>>> can be used by nearby subscribers. So if you're passing by a fellow user's
>>> home, you can lock onto their public Wi-Fi, log in using your Comcast
>>> username and password, and use that home's bandwidth.
>>> 
>>> However, Toyer Grear, 39, and daughter Joycelyn Harris – who live
>>> together in Alameda County, California – say they never gave Comcast
>>> permission to run a public network from their home cable connection.
>>> 
>>> In a lawsuit [PDF] filed in the northern district of the golden state,
>>> the pair accuse the ISP of breaking the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and
>>> two other laws.
>>> 
>>> Grear – a paralegal – and her daughter claim the Xfinity hotspot is an
>>> unauthorized intrusion into their private home, places a "vast" burden on
>>> electricity bills, opens them up to attacks by hackers, and "degrades"
>>> their bandwidth.
>>> 
>>> "Comcast does not, however, obtain the customer's authorization prior to
>>> engaging in this use of the customer's equipment and internet service for
>>> public, non-household use," the suit claims.
>>> 
>>> "Indeed, without obtaining its customers' authorization for this
>>> additional use of their equipment and resources, over which the customer
>>> has no control, Comcast has externalized the costs of its national Wi-Fi
>>> network onto its customers."
>>> 
>>> The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages for themselves and on behalf
>>> of all Comcast customers nation-wide in their class-action case – the
>>> service was rolled out to 20 million customers this year."
>>> 
>>> 
>> 




More information about the NANOG mailing list