Comcast is in the wrong and they won't do anything unless you hurt them. Possibly consider contacting legal authorities.
I second the other guy's suggestion of getting a VPN. I recommend NordVPN. No logs, you can use it on multiple devices, it's based in Panama so it's not in one of the 5 eyes countries, and it supports OpenVPN. I think they've still got a sale going for ~36$/year of service.
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-program-a-30-second-skip-button-for-xfinity-x1/
This link will show you how to program a 30 second skip (but it removes that 5 minute fast forward option)...
I've tested this on my equipment, and I can properly fast forward through those 'in your face' ads they are trying to cram down our throats.
(This post assumes your folks have the X1 platform. If not, the older DVRs have a similar way to program a 30 second skip ahead...)
O'Rourke is the poor soul who - after 19 failed attempts to get Comcast to fix his account - finally gave up trying and called the office of a Comcast executive to get his account errors resolved… and then that Comcast executive allegedly called O'Rourke's employer (Pricewaterhouse Coopers) who shortly thereafter fired O'Rourke. O'Rourke is now suing Comcast
Yup, as long as you're connected, your traffic is completely hidden. Just remember to run it whenever you reboot your computer. Don't go for a free one, they've got a whole slew of problems. It's really worth it to get a pay one that's secure, especially since they're so goddamn cheap.
If you don't wanna go with NordVPN, you can look up a comparison list to find one you like but you just have to make sure you know what you're looking for. I'll edit this with a comparison chart in a few minutes so you can have some options.
Edit: Here's a comparison chart. Not made by me but by another user.
And here's the link to NordVPN for 36$/year with the coupon code already applied.
CondoInternet here is amazing. $60 a month (not 60 plus taxes etc, but exactly $60) gets you 100/100 service with very low latency out to several backbones. Want to watch Netflix? It's coming across a 60gbit link via OpenConnect direct from Netflix to CondoInternet. (https://www.netflix.com/openconnect)
For $20 more a month, the speed raises to 1000/1000.
Oh, and caps? Yeah, they don't have them. They don't even monitor individual port use, just the interconnects to know when it's time to upgrade. I had probably 5TB of traffic over my connection in the first month. Most of it an initial cloud backup run with 4.something TB uploaded.
When I needed to move out of a crappy initial Seattle apartment, I made sure to move into a place with this service. Last year was my first time dealing with Comcast, and hopefully the last.
It appears this page is nothing more than an underhanded way to solicit e-mail addresses to bolster their mailing list and is not participation in any actual activism.
It is in conjunction with an e-mail blast sent out earlier this morning that uses the same sneaky, inflammatory, non-specific language to link people to the same sign-up page.
Fight For The Future seems, at first glance, to be a legit enough organization, with funding passing through a few front organizations, like the Media Democracy Fund, New Venture Fund, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, etc.
But if you look at FFTF's Projects page there's no mention of Comcast Vs. a must-pass budget bill.
Their site doesn't appear to offer an obvious Un-subscribe option but one does appear in the e-mail blasts they send via SendGrid but I have no idea if they actually honor unsubscribe requests.
Direct complaints to:
508-474-5248
I want to provide an update that this post got enough attention that /u/comcastcassie offered to help me out. I have written a followup to my original post explaining how the issue was resolved.
https://medium.com/@thedudley/comcast-customer-service-stories-7468e4b6ccc5
It doesn't load for me, but I'm not sure if it's being blocked by my provider. I'm going to try with CyberGhost VPN and see if it works. I'm on Verizon, not TWC or Comcast, but I might as well check anyway.
Edit: Tried it again before starting up CyberGhost, and it loaded, although very, very slowly. Tried it once CyberGhost started up, and it loaded slightly quicker. It's definitely not blocked on my connection.
It is a credible source because websites like 'The Verge', 'Independent', 'Mashable' and 'New York Times' are covering this event. And about the internet slowdown, this event/protest is about FCC; Tom Wheeler; eliminating Net Neutrality. FCC has already got millions of comments against Comcast and other cable companies. September 10 will be the day when they decide whether to keep net neutrality or not. Therefore if Comcast succeeds then we will see a huge downfall in the speeds of the internet.
It's very simple. Private Internet Access is the service I use. Click the executable. It installs. Runs in the background and you can turn it on/off whenever you like. What you're talking about is totally different. All a proxy does is connect you to another IP somewhere in the world so that you can connect to your torrent service without your ISP tracking your IP address.
Interesting. I think I'll create a new VLAN on my network with a different subnet. I have an extra interface on my Windows machine that I can connect to the new VLAN. I'll configure my Windows machine as the default gateway of the PS4 on the new VLAN and internet connection sharing, this should route traffic to my Windows machine and out my original VLAN interface. If this works, then I should be able to use my SlickVPN windows client on my computer and the connection sharing should use SlickVPN to connect.
Going to utilize WinGate.
Just bought http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IF0JAYE/ with no real knowledge of what I needed. Recommended in http://www.howtogeek.com/186941/buy-your-cable-modem-instead-of-renting-it-to-save-4-8-per-month/
My favorite suggestion of course is ditch comcast and get a real ISP, but I assume that's not an option. Next up: return their shitty equipment, which they are charging you an additional monthly fee for, and replace it with your own equipment that will pay for itself in six months or less. I recommend this modem http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825188005 to replace theirs, it's the same or even better. If they had been providing you with a wifi router, I recommend this one http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WRT54GL-Wireless-G-Broadband-Router/dp/B000BTL0OA/ . Good luck!
I recommend this modem http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825188005 to replace theirs, it's the same or even better. If they had been providing you with a wifi router, I recommend this one http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WRT54GL-Wireless-G-Broadband-Router/dp/B000BTL0OA/ . Good luck! Here's hoping one day you can ditch Comcast completely.