Comcast, dynamic DNS service

[Christopher Schmidt]

On Mon, Apr 03, 2006 at 02:21:41PM -0400, Jeff Kinz wrote:
> On Mon, Apr 03, 2006 at 02:04:48PM -0400, mattg at TheWorld.com wrote:
> > > Anybody here been getting bugged by comcast to change their DNS
> > > settings to accept dynamic DNS server assigmment from Comcast?
> > >
> > > They seem pretty insistent about it.  Emails of course, but snail mail
> > > and a phone call?
> > >
> > > Anybody know whats going on?
> > >
> > 
> > They've been bothering me, too.  Unless they run a split DNS (internal has
> > a different view than external) I'll stay the way I am.  I run a caching
> > DNS that starts by looking at the root servers.
> 
> My deepest concern is that they will either block or transparently proxy
> all outbound udp on port 53 to their servers.  (or somesuch)

A bigger concern would be that they would do this, then use their
position to create 'members only' services for comcast users, under a
non-public TLD like '.cable' or something similar. They could provide a
wide variety of services -- everything from their current searching
services (a la
http://www.comcast.net/qry/websearch/?query=myrtle+baptist+church&cmd=qry&safe=on&x=11&y=14
) to streaming media downloads -- but provided that they did things
right, they would never have to share these things with non comcast
customers.

Rather, it's not my concern that they'll do that -- I'm a speakeasy
customer, and I certainly don't begrudge them the ability to use their
position to enhance their customer experience -- but that they would do
so in a way that would make it impossible for users *not* using comcast
DNS to get these services, since I don't like the idea of corporations
ignoring some of their customer base simply because they use a
different, perfectly acceptable technical solution to avoid a well known
issue that Comcast has had in the past (being unable to provide stable
DNS).

-- 
Christopher Schmidt
Web Developer