[semi-OT] Review: Comcast Workplace cable Internet

[Bruce Dawson]

Ben Scott wrote:
> COST
>
> ...
>
>   There were some one-time costs related to getting a line run on the
> poles to our facility.  These will not generalize to anyone else's
> experiences, so I'm not going to post them.
>   
Ack! Phht. Don't assume this! I (and at least one other poster on this
list) have had to pay to have them run wire on poles to our places. In
my case, I think it cost about $6K to run it about 0.56 mile.
> SLA
>
>   SLA = Service Level Agreement.  This is what spells out exactly what
> you're getting for your money, and what the provider promises.
> Basically, this feed comes without one.  If we're happy with it,
> great.  If not, we're free to cancel the service.
>
>   Comcast did offer a 1.5 meg symmetric feed with what they called an
> "SLA".  However, the "SLA" only gave a refund schedule which kicked on
> on unavailability.  They never defined "available".  Specifics about
> things like committed rate, packet loss, and round trip time were
> nowhere to be found.  Sales rep couldn't provide more detail.
>   
I seem to remember somewhere that Comcast's "available" meant you get a
signal. This is generally possible if the wire is unbroken between the
last pole and your building entrance. However, this does not guarantee
signal quality - which is what matters here.

>   In short, if you need or want an SLA, Comcast is not the right choice.
>   
Very True.
> ...
>
>   Hope somebody finds this info useful.
>   
Yes. We came to a similar conclusion - its great for general web
surfing. However, don't plan on running much in the way of servers in
your home/business on this line; things start getting rather sporadic
(for both you and your clients).

--Bruce