Comcast thinks it ok to install public wifi in your house

Owen DeLong owen at delong.com
Fri Dec 12 20:51:43 UTC 2014


> On Dec 11, 2014, at 17:39 , Ricky Beam <jfbeam at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> On Thu, 11 Dec 2014 19:33:03 -0500, Owen DeLong <owen at delong.com> wrote:
> 
>> In short, the only thing really truly wrong with this scenario is that Comcast is using equipment that the subscriber should have exclusive control over (they are renting it, so while Comcast retains ownership, they have relinquished most rights of control to the "tenant") how the device is used.
> 
> Except every ISP (pretty much universally) thinks the modem/router is theirs and they can, therefore, do whatever they flippin' please with it.  In some markets (not necessarily comcast), they lock down the router to the point the customer can't even access it; every single change has to go through them.

The fact that a mythology is widely believed does not make it true.

> 
> (AT&T Uverse... you can change anything you want, with sufficient access (i.e. telnet), but the mothership can (and will) undo your changes pretty much instantly -- "apply" triggers a CWMP event.)

I have no doubt that AT&T is equally slimey to Comcast, especially in this regard.

I stand by my statement that if you are paying monthly for rental of the modem, then you have the right to exclusive use of the modem, just as when you rent an apartment, the landlord cannot use it for storage or put other people in there at his whim.

Owen




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