Clearly, there is something going on (see: wrong) with Comcast’s definition of unrestricted Internet access (see: Comcast/BitTorrent interference lawsuit). They say they are not blocking anything, and in fact, they are telling the truth. So if you call Comcast to complain about a service problem; do not use that verbiage. If you do, and you are persistent, they can and will will deem you a disgruntled or uncooperative caller and ignore you.

What you need to do is play their word game.

Their word game is not to call the teakettle black – but to say that it is less reflective to light due to its dark color. I.e., they aren’t blocking ports outright – they are hindering normal communication or doing something to affect it in a way that causes it to fail.

By using this type of wording and phrasing, I was able to get Comcast to admit that they block ports – something they are currently denying in court and normally never admit to. See below for the quote I got from a tech support representative.

However, in case you were wondering, I was not calling to complain about BitTorrent. I was calling to complain about their interference with other protocols; in my case, it was RDP for use with Windows Remote Desktop, as well as DameWare. These protocols/services have begun to be “interfered with” for me in the past couple of months, although they used to work flawlessly. Now they do not work across the Comcast network at all. Being a network administrator and having knowledge that nothing has changed on my home or work networks, I knew the problem had to be with the man in the middle: Comcast.

Kevin Kanarski, working as a Lotus Notes messaging engineer, observed that Comcast is indeed interfering with other network applications. In the case of Lotus Notes, Comcast is sending a RST (reset) packet to both the client and server in the connection intentionally killed emails with large attachments.

So, in this case, Comcast is sending false packets to the client and/or server in order to reset the connection (TCP packet with an RST flag). RST-reset connections are immediately closed without without any acknowledgment/confirmation handshake regarding the request between the client and server. My knowledge of TCP/IP protocol operation is limited, but this is my understanding of the condition that the RST packets cause.

Unbelievably, this is the crux of a man-in-the-middle attack, and it’s being perpetrated by my own ISP!

However, as you can see: this is “interfering”, not blocking. And this is how Comcast is playing their game.

If you do have a complaint about connectivity issues with Comcast, their regular support cannot (or will not) help you. First, they won’t help you if it involves any technology that they don’t support or have an obligation to support. Second, they will declare that “Comcast does not block ports”. However, they can (if you are lucky enough and they do not simply stonewall you) refer you to contact abuse@comcast.net. Yep, that’s right; the abuse department: The Comcast abuse department is in control of port blocking. To support this claim, here is a quote I finagled out of a tech support rep:

Them > We do not have that information, If you like, you can email abuse@comcast.net and they can check on that for you.

Me > abuse@ is for reporting service abuse. I am inquiring about the configuration of my account.

Them > That department does not only deal with abuse, they deal with any blocking of port numbers, or any problems with connection or email port number blocking.

Wait a second here – So, Comcast has a department that deals with port blocking – ergo Comcast is port blocking! Oh my stars and garters…

But this is just a start, and it’s where your and my fun begins, because abuse@comcast.net doesn’t get read by humans. If you send an email to that address, you’ll receive a boilerplate auto-reply e-mail response with links to common Comcast customer issue – although none of them will involve anything relating to port blocking/interference problems.

Comcast abuse line: 856-317-7272

Fight the power.

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A brilliant montage of 100 wonderful movies featuring a spoken word countdown from 100 to 1.

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They have their cake, and eat it, and everything!

Part of an conversation overheard while walking through Downtown Crossing, in Boston MA.

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