AOL now rejecting mail from Comcast residential IPs.

[Scott Garman]

I happen to run a mail server from my home cable modem account. I have
been doing so since I signed up for service from MediaOne, which was
bought out by AT+T, which then merged with Comcast. The mail server is
locked down, and I occasionally receive probes from my ISP which
apparently is testing for open relays.

Comcast apparently shares IP usage information with AOL, which now
apparently has a policy of rejecting mail originating from known
"residential" IP addresses. The following is what I receive whenever I
send mail to an AOL user:

   ----- Transcript of session follows -----
... while talking to mailin-01.mx.aol.com.:
<<< 550-The IP address you are using to connect to AOL is an IP address
owned
<<< 550-by ATTBI/Comcast and is either open to the free relaying of
e-mail,
<<< 550-is serving as an open proxy, or is a dynamic (residential) IP
address.
<<< 550-AOL cannot accept further e-mail transactions from your server
until
<<< 550-either your server is closed to free relaying/proxy, or your
provider
<<< 550-removes your IP address from their list of dynamic IP
addresses.  For
<<< 550-additional information, please visit
http://postmaster.info.aol.com
<<< 550-or contact your network support organization at
<<< 550-security_ldc at cable.comcast.com.
<<< 550 Goodbye

(I have verified that I am neither an open relay or open proxy)

I clearly understand the spam problem, but this does not seem to be a
reasonable solution to it. I could even see allowing individual AOL
users the ability to set brain-dead, highly restrictive anti-spam rules
like this, but not making a blanket decision for all of its users.

Just thought I'd make people aware of this. I imagine there are others
on the list running mail servers from their home cable modem ISP
accounts.

Scott 

-- 
Scott A. Garman                            Unix System Administrator
sgarman at einstein.unh.edu                   UNH Nuclear Physics Group