[176800] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: Comcast thinks it ok to install public wifi in your house
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Owen DeLong)
Thu Dec 11 17:01:56 2014
X-Original-To: nanog@nanog.org
From: Owen DeLong <owen@delong.com>
In-Reply-To: <548902D7.60406@mompl.net>
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 13:54:08 -0800
To: Jeroen van Aart <jeroen@mompl.net>
Cc: nanog@nanog.org
Errors-To: nanog-bounces+nanog.discuss=bloom-picayune.mit.edu@nanog.org
While I generally support the lawsuit, I have to question "a vast burden =
on their electric bill".
Does an 802.11 transmitter that was already being used to support their =
own WiFi network that they are paying for really consume vastly more =
electricity to support a second SSID? In my experience, that claim is =
hard to fathom.
Owen
> On Dec 10, 2014, at 18:35 , Jeroen van Aart <jeroen@mompl.net> wrote:
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> Why am I not surprised?
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> Whose fault would it be if your comcast installed public wifi would be =
abused to download illegal material or launch a botnet, to name some =
random fun one could have on your behalf. :-/
>=20
> (apologies if this was posted already, couldn't find an email about it =
on the list)
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> =
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/12/10/disgruntled_customers_lob_sueball_=
at_comcast_over_public_wifi/
>=20
> "A mother and daughter are suing Comcast claiming the cable giant's =
router in their home was offering public Wi-Fi without their permission.
>=20
> Comcast-supplied routers broadcast an encrypted, private wireless =
network for people at home, plus a non-encrypted network called =
XfinityWiFi that can be used by nearby subscribers. So if you're passing =
by a fellow user's home, you can lock onto their public Wi-Fi, log in =
using your Comcast username and password, and use that home's bandwidth.
>=20
> However, Toyer Grear, 39, and daughter Joycelyn Harris =E2=80=93 who =
live together in Alameda County, California =E2=80=93 say they never =
gave Comcast permission to run a public network from their home cable =
connection.
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> In a lawsuit [PDF] filed in the northern district of the golden state, =
the pair accuse the ISP of breaking the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and =
two other laws.
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> Grear =E2=80=93 a paralegal =E2=80=93 and her daughter claim the =
Xfinity hotspot is an unauthorized intrusion into their private home, =
places a "vast" burden on electricity bills, opens them up to attacks by =
hackers, and "degrades" their bandwidth.
>=20
> "Comcast does not, however, obtain the customer's authorization prior =
to engaging in this use of the customer's equipment and internet service =
for public, non-household use," the suit claims.
>=20
> "Indeed, without obtaining its customers' authorization for this =
additional use of their equipment and resources, over which the customer =
has no control, Comcast has externalized the costs of its national Wi-Fi =
network onto its customers."
>=20
> The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages for themselves and on =
behalf of all Comcast customers nation-wide in their class-action case =
=E2=80=93 the service was rolled out to 20 million customers this year."
>=20
> --=20
> Earthquake Magnitude: 4.8
> Date: 2014-12-10 22:10:36.800 UTC
> Date Local: 2014-12-10 13:10:36 PST
> Location: 120km W of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
> Latitude: -6.265; Longitude: 154.4004
> Depth: 35 km | e-quake.org
