Heavy Internet users unplugged by US cable company, page 6

As far as the CORE network goes, yes, all cable companies use fiber optics. DOCSIS standards only apply to the equipment that is digitized going through the headend. Be it, the HDTV, Digital channels, Phone service, Security, or Phone. All of it has to adere to DOCSIS in that regard. As far as the standard cable goes, it doesn't. Thats usually the reason why you can have fuzzy channels on these, vs Digital, which basically is either there or not not. As far as how this is applied at the cable side of things. I admit, as far as networking goes, I am not an expert. I do know though that the ISP's that I used to work for, did use Sonet alot, as well as BGP, and OSPF. In Europe, last I saw, there was a EuroDOCSIS which had slightly different configs then the U.S. DOCSIS.

As far as FTTH, I still say that you will see this in the large cities. A cable company puts $1000 in a customers house for equipment, Cable modem- $100, Digital recorder- $400, standard digital box, $150. These numbers quickly add up. Because the cable companies are now starting to compete(in the U.S.) with the phone companies, the phone companies are starting to loose a light profit from this. Notice, I say a little, Only because all of the Cable companies use the phone companies as back end support. (they just make there money a little differently). Regardless, because of this, the phone companies want it all to be on there network. Meaning, Phone, TV, and internet, and they want it through one pipe. This is why several phone companies have rolled this service out. You won't see it in the sticks, only in the cities, and only in the most affluent neighborhoods.

As far as The RIAA and the MPA goes, you don't get introuble from downloading. You get in trouble from sharing copyrighted material. This is how is works. Both companies use outsourced 3rd parties to prowl around and look for there content they control. Lets take edonkey as an example. The go on there, do a search for a file(Star Wars 3) and start downloading it. Well, as there downloading it, from you, who happen to be a star wars junkie, as the data that is being transferred is being transferred via TCP/IP ( another protocol). The Protocol, basically states that every packet has an id tagged to it, and that theres a return address on it(which is your IP address.) Anyone that is on the internet has an IP address. These IP's are handed out to you from the ISP. Now then. They do whats called packet sniffing, on there network, basically ripping the data that your transferring to them apart, and get your IP address.

On a cable network, This IP address is bound to a specific device, through your MAC address. Every device that gets on the internet has one. This is basically something similar to a serial number of the device, be it dial up modem, network card, router, etc.

This being said, they turn your IP over the MPAA, which in turn lodges a complaint with the ISP stating that IP 24.24.24.24(ex) was sharing (blah) on such and such day. We want that person. The ISP looks on the CMTS for the ip, which correlates back to the machine address of your NIC. The NIC mac address ties back to your cable modem, the Cable modem goes back to your account, and WHAM, you just go fingered.

This being said Of the 3 cable ISP's that I worked for, only one had the capability to go back, look at the IP, and see who had it on a specific date, VS currently having it. The other 2 ISPs, which I won't name, if I was being sued by the RIAA or MPAA, I would fight them tooth and nail. the 1 that coule track, could only track back a month, so if the supena came after that mark, then they would be just as unreliable.

This is the reason why I use newsgroups vs filesharing. While you do have added expense with most decent newsgroups, You either A) settling with these pricks, or B) Fighting them, costs alot more. They have enough money to keep you in court for a VERY long time, and loosing your case could cost