Charges are still being flung against them; this time for giving Xbox video priority over OTT (Over The Top) services like Netflix.  As expected, Comcast denies the charges.

It looks like Comcast is using DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point) markings to ensure its Xbox Xfinity app is put on top of the service heap.

Comcast appears to be splitting hairs and playing some games (no pun intended) with third-party video and their own.  They claim they are using DSCP to make sure Xbox video traffic is put on a private connection path that is separate from the customer’s normal Internet access.

This sure looks like Comcast has taken lessons from AT&T.  AT&T separates its U-verse services from the normal Internet traffic handling.

And there is another accusation that Comcast is not practicing net neutrality.  The Xbox game console is not subject to Comcast’s 250 GB monthly cap, while Netflix, Hulu and other OTT services are subject to this cap.

Comcast is claiming that it is treating the Xbox 360 as a set top box.  A Sony PlayStation performing all the functions as the Xbox 360 is not considered a set top box but as a game console, so the video usage affects the data cap.

Comcast’s CTO, Tony Werner explains “Specifically, we provision a separate, additional bandwidth flow into the home for the use of this service — above and beyond, and distinct from, the bandwidth a customer has for his or her regular Internet access service.”

Do you think Comcast is playing games to do an end-run around the Net neutrality laws to give priority to its own video services and discourage the use of competing services?

Photo courtesy of Fred Hoot.

Massachusetts will see the Hyannis/Mid-Cape area activated also.  The Benton Harbor/St. Joseph area of Michigan will see a 4G LTE rollout.

Mississippi residents in the Biloxi/Gulfport/Pascagoula and Oxford areas will be glad to be able to take advantage of the faster 4G LTE network.  People visiting the casinos and resort areas of New Jersey’s Atlantic City/Toms River area will be able to take advantage of the 4G LTE network on their 4G-enabled devices.

The towns of Dickinson and Williston in North Dakota will be heated up along with the towns of Ashtabula, Bucyrus and Defiance in Ohio will also get the 4g LTE treatment.

Other new markets across the nation to get Verizon’s 4G LTE network are Eugene/Springfield, Oregon.; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Mitchell, S.D.; Paris, Texas; Burlington/Northern, Vermont; Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Martinsville and Staunton/Waynesboro, Virginia; and Sheridan, Wyoming.

My home state of Pennsylvania will see Lancaster, New Castle, Northern Cambria County, Oil City/Franklin, Somerset and York get all the services available with 4G LTE.

Verizon also announced that the following areas would receive expanded coverage on May 17th too.  Denver, Colorado; Dover, Delaware; Fort Myers and Lakeland, Florida.; Hagerstown, Maryland.; Canton, Lima, Mansfield, Toledo and Youngstown/Warren, Ohio; and Erie, Pennsylvania.

If you happen to be in any of these areas and decide to get a new 4G LTE handset, Verizon is releasing the new Blue DROID RAZR by Motorola.  You will only be able to order it online starting this Thursday.

If you live in the areas listed, Broadband Expert would like to hear from you on the performance of the new 4G LTE networks.

A shout-out to Brigitte for this tip!

I could not hang up the call and neither the touchscreen nor the buttons worked.  It was over three hours before the handset dried out and started working.

If I had been protected by HzO’s product, I might have been saved.  I’m lucky my phone wasn’t totally damaged.

During the CTIA wireless show, HzO throws an iPhone in the water and it still works.  That is a pretty impressive demonstration.  Not only did the phone not become damaged, but it continued to operate.

This waterproofing product is called WaterBlock.  Its secret is that it is nanotechnology and works by protecting the electronics from the inside out.

WaterBlock works a lot better than putting your phone inside a plastic bag, but don’t expect to be able to order it anytime soon.  The consumer cannot use it, even with an expensive vacuum deposition chamber.

WaterBlock is applied during the manufacturing process.  They take the circuit boards or other components like displays, put them in a vacuum chamber and pump out the air.

The WaterBlock gas is then deposited, molecule by molecule, building up into a thin layer.  That’s the short version of their proprietary process and it is only cost-effective on a production line.

If you buy a device that has WaterBlock technology, you don’t have to worry if you get thrown in a pool at the off-site office party by your employees.  You can casually swim to the pool ladder or steps and get out of the pool.  Then you can take pictures of the employees responsible and make a voice memo to yourself.

I you happen to leave your handset in your pants pocket and it goes through a wash cycle, no worries!  It will work just fine.

WaterBlock is not designed for waterproofing to take your smartphone or tablet scuba diving.  HzO tells us “WaterBlock is not designed to be used in deep water, nor is it designed to be used under water all day, every day. It is simply the most effective protection against water ever deployed without cumbersome and unsightly plugs, cases, or seals.”

So, be on the lookout for tablets, smartphones and other electronic devices advertising that have WaterBlock.  Hopefully the next smartphone I buy will have WaterBlock built in.

The Sprint 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot is a versatile unit that can work on all three networks.  It also supports up to eight devices, which is more than a lot of other hotspots can do.

If you are one of those people who are always on the go and need constant contact with the web, this device is the one for you.  With its 3,600 mAh battery, you should have up to eight continuous hours of operation.  If you use your laptop with the Tri-Fi Hotspot, just connect up the usb cable to charge the battery and run from your laptop.

I hear you out there grumbling about Sprint’s current lack of 4G LTE.  That doesn’t bother me in the least bit.  I know that Sprint will be activating it’s 4G LTE network this summer.

If you were in the market for a hotspot, why buy one that will only support Sprint’s 4G (WiMAX) and 3G networks?  That does not make any sense buying a device that will be obsolete in a couple of months.

You will be able to obtain the Sprint 4G LTE Tri-Fi Hotspot on May 18^th.  It will cost you just under $100 after a $50 rebate in addition to a 2-year data contract.

If you are a Sprint customer, would you find this device attractive?  Do you agree with my prediction that this will become Sprint’s most popular hotspot device?

His reasoning is that adding more tiers to the data plans on the pay-as-you-go data plans will help people manage their data usage better.  The new tiers are designed to allow people to purchase additional data bandwidth during the month.

Doug made these revelations at the 2012 CTIA Wireless conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.  When pressed for additional details, he dismissed offering any more details of the coming plans.  He did say “People will buy more tiers.”

The new plans may be introduced in the third quarter.  Leap offers 1 GB of data in its $55 and $65 smartphone plans.

Maybe one reason for thinking about offering more data tiers than a 1 GB plan has to do with Senior VP Jeff Toig’s keynote presentation at CTIA 2012: The New Subscriber Experience: Adding Music to the Mobile Service Mix.  Jeff will cover the successful deployment of their Muve Music service.  While music doesn’t require as much bandwidth as video, playing it all day can put a serious dent in the 1 GB data plan.

According to Cricket’s press release, they have a subscriber base of “more than 600,000, enjoy unlimited song downloads, ringtones, and ringback tones from a catalog of 5 million songs.”  With unlimited downloads that could really hurt the pocketbook of the hard-core music aficionado, although this is a little fuzzy.

The Muve Music plan web site says:

• song downloads (unlimited)
• ringback tones (unlimited)
• ringtones (unlimited)
• mobile video entertainment (unlimited)

They also say “3G mobile data (1 GB)” which doesn’t seem to go well with the unlimited video and music.

Do you think the new tiered data plans will help Leap/Cricket?

Julius acknowledged the spectrum crunch that has been created by the rapid proliferation of mobile data devices that are demanding more bandwidth.  While the wireless spectrum is huge, the way it has been distributed may need to be changed.  So, Chairman Genachowski has shown his support in releasing some of the spectrum from government use to be auctioned off to the wireless industry.

So far, the FCC has been offering enticements to traditional television broadcasters to turn in their channels in exchange for some cash and a new channel in another part of the spectrum which wireless communications like broadband cannot use.  They are looking at a small segment of frequencies currently owned by the government.

The 1755 MHz to 1780 MHz band has been discussed for transformation to LTE use.  Specifically a pairing with the 2155 MHz to 2180 MHz band would be ideal for the future LTE services.  Broadband Expert wrote about T-Mobile’s push for such a pairing.

Julius Genachowski said “We won’t seize the opportunities before us if we don’t tackle this capacity challenge. The kinds of challenges we have in mobile are the kind we want – challenges stemming from growing mobile demand. I’m sure no one will disagree – better these challenges than the opposite. Better these challenges than shrinking demand.”

Julius plans to release up to 500 MHz of bandwidth by 2020, with 300 MHz of that free by 2015.  Do you think The FCC will make these goals in the allotted timeframe?

Problems developed when he used the VoIP app Viber.  No, Viber didn’t have a problem as it worked just fine.  The flight crew had a problem with it.

Talmon was told that he could not talk on his phone when the airplane was in the air.  He explained that his handset was in airline mode and was not transmitting. He further explained he was using VoIP.

The airline crew responded that he had to stop immediately as it was against FAA regulations to use VoIP when the aircraft was in the air.  Talmon made the mistakes of knowing the FAA regulations and informing them that VoIP was not against FAA regulations.  At this point, the flight attendant decided that Talmon was being “difficult.”

A second flight attendant got involved and concurred it was an FAA rule and Talmon was determined to be “difficult” for the second time.  Talmon was informed that it was a GoGo terms of service issue and they shoved an FAA flyer at him where he promptly took a picture of it.

At this point they informed him the police were going to be called when the plan arrived at the destination.  Delta made good on that promise and Talmon was lectured by rude cops and released after the police filed a report.  In the end, the police finally admitted that this was a bogus issue, but “they tell you to turn off devices, that’s what you do.”

By the way, Talmon Marco is the founder of Viber, a VoIP product similar to Skype.  He was nearly arrested for using his own product.

Here are the FCC’s comments directly from their web site: “While passengers are welcome to access the web, U.S. airlines offering WiFi service block the use of inflight calling using Skype or similar applications. This is not an FAA restriction; they are simply responding to the overwhelming majority of their customers, who prefer silent communications to the public nature of Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) calls.”

Now, I have a question:  if you can get the permission of the passengers around you to make the VoIP call since they won’t be bothered, would the airline acquiesce?

I know that Talmon will be flying United Airlines from now on, as they have no problem with the use of VoIP applications over their in-flight Wi-Fi systems.

The first award was for industry leadership in the areas of innovation, growth and strategy in Wi-Fi.  AT&T has made it’s Wi-Fi offerings a strategic part of its data plans, offering it for free to its customer base.  They have also installed Wi-Fi networks in major population areas in public places to make Wi-Fi more available.

The second award was for setting a record in the number of connections and network traffic.  More than 626.4 million connections were made in Q1 of 2012.  In 2011, 1.2 billion data connections were made on the AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

Four times the monthly Wi-Fi uploads from mobile devices were made in Q1 as compared to the corresponding period in 2011.  One might surmise that the lack of unlimited 3G and 4G data plans led more mobile users to take advantage of unlimited data uploads via public Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

AT&T tripled their data traffic in Q1 2012 as compared to Q1 of 2011.

AT&T’s Senior VP of Wi-Fi Services Angie Wiskocil said “We made a decision to scale our network and invest in Wi-Fi technology, products and services to help deliver a better customer experience. Wi-Fi plays a strategic role in keeping our customers connected when and where they want, and we’re thrilled to receive this recognition. Wi-Fi usage will only continue to skyrocket, and we’re proud to provide fast, reliable and convenient access to customers and businesses across the country.”

Wireless Week’s Editor in Chief, Monica Alleven congratulated AT&T: “Wireless Week is proud to recognize AT&T for doing an outstanding job of recognizing the value of Wi-Fi and making it an important part of its offerings.”

Hotel Wi-Fi provides 45% of the traffic on AT&T’s Wi-Fi network.

Go to Comcast and get an on-demand movie and play it. Watch it for stuttering and pixilation (blotches of pixel groups flashing on the screen).

Then get the same movie from Hulu, Netflix or your favorite provider.  Watch it for the same degradation.

If both are the same, then no worries, as they say.  However if they are different, then your 3^rd-party video is getting delayed.

How does someone like Comcast do this?  He answer is easy: they could use QoS (Quality of Service).

There can be a QoS part of the Ethernet packet that describes the Quality of Service.  It has values of 1 through 5 (generally) with 5 getting the highest priority and 1 the lowest.  In a business application you may want the video conferencing to have a QoS of 4 or 5 so the video is smooth.  IM packets would get a low QoS of 1 or 2 since they take up very little snippets of data and will probably get through no matter what the traffic is.

Comcast or any other content provider could hypothetically set the QoS for its own video to 5 which would make sure their video always had priority.  They could then set the QoS packet to 1 for the competitors’ video packets.

If Comcast did this, they would be breaking the deal they had with the DOJ last year.  They could also get into real big trouble.  So why all the fuss now?

Dan Rayburn discovered that Comcast has been setting the QoS for their own Xfinity video to 5 and tagging packets from Netflix, Hulu and MLB to a QoS of 1.  This could possibly guarantee that Comcast’s Xfinity video would always take priority over any other content provider.

I said “possibly” for a good reason.  First, if the network is not congested, all video would pass equally.  When congestion builds, the video packets with a QoS of 1 may get delayed.

Notice that I said ‘may.”  If Comcast’s network is not actually processing the QoS tags (yes, it can be ignored) all video will be treated the same.

Dan did say he had no proof that Comcast was actually using the QoS tags in its network.  He asked Comcast if they are using the QoS settings and is awaiting a reply.  I bet he will wait a long time.

If you have tried this test (make sure you use the same video and network conditions) what did you find?

One friend in South San Francisco canned his cable connection years ago and installed several HD digital antennas on his roof.  He receives just about all of the local bay area stations in HD along with a lot of other stations that have transmitters in the SSF hills.  With the addition of free video services on the Internet, his family doesn’t miss anything on TV anymore.

The Nielsen folks have a few more resources than I do and they studied TV usage and compared several years of data to come to a similar conclusion.  Over 3 million cable subscribers killed their connections last year and moved to other alternative video sources.

Around half of those former cable subscribers moved to satellite video subscriptions.  The other half, amounting to 1.5 million, went to their Internet broadband connection to feed their video appetites.  This is 1.5% of the TV usage out there.  Yes it is small, but it is growing.

Around 98% of the programming is still watched on a television set, but just about all TV sets can now accept HDMI and other connections from a variety or Internet-connected devices.  Eight million more HD TVs have been added to the viewing population.  Two percent of the video viewing is on tablets and other computing devices including game consoles.

A quote from the recently-released Nielsen report shows what is happening.  “After several years of consistent year-over-year growth, traditional TV viewing declined one half of one percent or roughly 46 minutes per month. This may be the result of leveling off after a period of sustained growth, weather and economic factors or of other viewing options. As more homes adopt DVRs and transition to timeshifted viewing, timeshifted TV growth has offset the bulk of live TV declines. Other potential factors include time spent using game consoles, tablets and other emerging devices.”

My household has cable and I opt for the super-fast deluxe broadband package along with the basic cable TV programming. I admit I am getting most of my video from the Internet followed by video on my smartphone that’s a fruit.  Maybe it’s time to get a tablet and can the video programming.

Are you moving away from cable TV?