Fucking Comcast
Arraugh. So, I have Comcast service for internet access, but not television service. I have a TV, but I only use it for pre-recorded stuff / video games / etc. However, when I got home today I had a note hanging next to my garage which reads:
While performing work in your neighborhood, it was determined that the cable TV line and/or equipment inside your home does not meet technical specifications established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The problem appears to be a leak of the cable TV signal. Signal leakage has the potential to cause interference with with aeronautical, police, and other communications. Comcast is required by the FCC to record and promptly repair signal leaks.
Please call Comcast at 1-800-865-9787 to schedule an appointment for one of our technicians to repair the signal leak.
If you are unable to contact Comcast within three (3) business days, we will be required to interrupt your service until the necessary repairs can be made.
So, I called and told the operator that I only have internet service and then asked what should be done about the note. The operator then first told me that I should just ignore the note, since I don’t have TV service. When I reminded her that I have internet service and that the note says the service will be terminated if I don’t call, she put me on hold to talk to a supervisor.
After she returned to the line we began to set up an appointment, but there were only 9am – 12pm or 12pm – 3pm windows open for technicians to visit, all the way through the end of March. Even better, the end of March is the furthest out she is able to schedule visits.
Great, eh?
So, she logged that I called and suggested that I just call back tomorrow and see if another slot is open.
I’m not sure what to do now. Maybe wait and see if my service actually gets switched off? <sigh>
UPDATE: I rejiggered the wiring just inside the house so that there are no unterminated connections. Hopefully that will sort it out. The root issue may very well be my fault, but I’d hope that Comcast would have some more reasonable appointments available. Hopefully my service won’t be interrupted now that things should be sorted out.
How does a cable signal “leak”? Where does it go?
The frequencies that are transmitted on a closed cable system are licensed frequencies in the air. So, when a cable system ‘leaks’ signal, it means that the system is acting like an antenna and transmitting into the open air…on top of whatever licensed signal was already there.
The FCC cracked down on this a number of decades ago when signal from a leaky cable TV system interfered with air to ground communications near an airport. Now most cable companies have employees that do nothing but drive around all day looking for signal leaking out of the system.
clearly, a “cable leak” ends up in the air. You see, a 200mhz signal will easily disrupt the microwave transmissions of cellphones or televisions for a several block radius. At 254ghz, an improperly wired 10BaseT will leak approximately 100hertz of 802.11 signals. This interferes with the dielectric constant in relation to the system impedence (as measured by the semi-cutoff of the basic insulation level). If the sidewall pressure or thermal expansion is high enough in a cable, service drop may occur. This is not only for the consumer, but also the network and the WLAN. Charter probably just wants to come in and do a parametric conjuctive test to see if the throughput/packets/T&D require MRO. I’m just sayin, this is probably a problem your neighbors have been experiencing so they just want to troubleshoot the entire network.