Friday, February 26, 2010

Re: Cable broadband and voice - feedback/guidance?

I would drop the voice=A0from the=A0Comcast offer and see if you can get th=
em to under=A0$100/month and use them to replace your Verizion DSL.=0A=0ASo=
rt of answering your questions:=0A1.=A0 50MB is maximum you mileage will va=
ry considerably and there is know why to really know until you sign the con=
tract.=A0 The advantage of a T-1 is=A0that it is=A0yours, end-to-end with g=
uaranteed speed, and it is connect to very=A0fat pipes on the other end (wh=
ere as=A0Comcast's grow larger in progression.=A0 Additionally, we know Com=
cast and other providers do traffic shaping that slow down certain types of=
data and users based on rules they do not publish.=A0 Until Net Neutrality=
rules are beefed up this will not change.=0A2.=A0 There are security issue=
s, but the are different from what you suggest.=A0=A0T-1 providing phone se=
rvice to a school is critical infrastructure and=A0you are going to get imm=
ediate response from your provider=A0and you will generally=A0encounter hig=
her quality repair and technical services folks on the ground (if not on th=
e phone) meaning more security and piece of mind for the school.=A0 In case=
s of natural disasters (e.g. flood, ice storm, etc.) your T-1 will typicall=
y be brought up well before your cable.=A0 I wouldn't worry too much about =
shared line from a security perspective.=0A3.=A0 DC is supposed to be getti=
ng FiOS (with similar issues) next year and Comcast is already rolling out =
100MB services and testing 200MB fiber.____________________________=0AJason=
at jasonpj@yahoo.com =0A=0A=0A=0A----- Original Message ----=0AFrom: JPDS =
Tech <techpurchases@jpds.org>=0ATo: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU=0ASent: Fri, Fe=
bruary 26, 2010 1:44:19 PM=0ASubject: Cable broadband and voice - feedback/=
guidance?=0A=0AWe are being wooed by Comcast.=A0 They are offering a 50 MBP=
S connection, with=0Anine phone lines for about $500/month for a three-year=
contract.=A0 This is=0Avery tempting because it would be less expensive an=
d much greater bandwidth=0Athan we currently have.=A0 Right now we use a si=
ngle T1 (9 pairs are=0Apriority-voice but bounce to data when not being use=
d) supplemented by a=0AVerizon business DSL (peak < 7 MBPS down).=A0 =0A=0A=
We're located in D.C. which limits our options somewhat.=A0 For example, FI=
OS=0Ais not available.=0A=0AQUESTIONS:=0A*> Do you currently, or have you p=
reviously, used Comcast or another cable=0Aprovider for your school Interne=
t?=0A*> Do you have reason to warn us away from doing business with them?=
=A0 I have=0Aa generally low opinion of ALL the major ISPs but it is hard t=
o avoid them.=0A*> I've been warned that voice-over-cable quality can deter=
iorate if the=0Apackets aren't isolated.=A0 Do any of you know about this?=
=A0 =0A*> I understand that cable throughput speeds can vary greatly.=A0 An=
y words of=0Aadvice / things I should be able to ask the cable company for?=
=A0 =0A*> Are there potential security/privacy issues?=A0 I have been told =
that=0Acables are shared lines.=0A*> Is something else even faster coming o=
ut in the next year that we should=0Await for?=0A=0AAny and all help would =
be most appreciated.=0A=0A=0ADan Berger=0AJewish Primary Day School of the =
Nation's Capital=0A=0A[ For info on ISED-L see https://www.gds.org/podium/d=
efault.aspx?t=3D128874
]=0ASubmissions to ISED-L are released under a creat=
ive commons, attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license.=0ARSS Feed, =
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