Comcast: We'll squash Skype flat

I am having about the same

I am having about the same problem as the above with Skype and Comcast. Although it hasn't been as bad as it is tonight... I have lost the skype connection 6 times within the last 30 minutes (not just with skype either...it also affects my browser and msn messenger. I called comcast and apparently my connection is running just fine and whoops they can't help me)... oops it just happened a 7th time. This is damn ridiculous and it makes me want to switch to DSL!!!

Yet another here that

Yet another here that suspects comcast is deliberately deprioritizing skype packets. I had my parents set up on skype to talk with our immediate family that is spread out across the country. It worked great on their dialup service. Then, when I switched them to Comcast cable, all of the sudden they no longer have enough bandwidth for intelligible conversation.

Very annoying, and a little taste of what the future holds without government enforced Net neutrality.

Using Skype over Comcast for

Using Skype over Comcast for the last two years, I began experiencing problems for the last couple of months. I thought it was my router going nuts, but now I tried connecting each of my two computers to the modem, and experience the same disconnections problems. Same for v2 and v3 of the software.

Reading the last few comments here, I too begin to suspect there is a Comcast conspiracy here.

Ditto here. My skype

Ditto here. My skype connection flickers in and out on a Comcast HSI connection. Whomever I'm talking to says they miss every third word I say.

I've had the identical

I've had the identical problem that the prior poster describes with Comcast. Worked fine in the beginning, then a month or so later would only work intermittently if at all. I have tried bypassing my wireless network and connecting directly to Comcast, disabling firewalls, opening ports, etc., but no go. Seems suspicious to me.

I just arrived at this blog

I just arrived at this blog after I googled "Skype Comcast problems" to see if my hunch was correct: Comcast is a problem for Skype connections. Beginning sometime in September (2006) (if memory serves), I could no longer keep Skype voice connections for more than a few seconds at a time. I had used Skype over a Comcast connection for two or three months before that (possibly longer), with intermittent problems but largely with success. Then a few months ago it became consistently impossible. I blamed my laptop. I moved to Boston and another Comcast connection, and two other computers -- consistent inability to maintain voice over Skype (the chat window works, though that has drop outs as well). Just yesterday I tried a call with DSL users in San Francisco and Europe -- not only did my connection fail, it caused theirs to fail as well. I finally went on speaker phone to one of the Skypers, and their connection worked fine from that point on.
So what can Comcast do? Apparently they can throw a wrench in the works.
I'm already so fed up with Comcast connection speeds, this angry camel is about to investigate DSL.

Skype is global, but is

Skype is global, but is having trouble in the US. This is probably due not only to US lack of adoption of VoIP, but also the inherent security issues with Skype's use of supernodes - I know I don't want Skype using my computer for other peoples communications. And it is reported that eBay and Yahoo for that matter, are coming under fire in China since they contain spyware and malware. Comcast is going to have an uphill battle and is more local. There are other global players that offer more free services than either of these right now - and they don't use supernodes or have spyware/malware either. Check out Raketu.com, for example, they have free dialout minutes right now too.

I don't know of anyone

I don't know of anyone personally who uses Skype.
I have brothers, sisters and relatives living all over the US but not one of them that I know of, even uses this service.

Now I have told many of them about my new
phone service another VOIP.
I went from well over 100.00 a month for phone service to 24.95 a month with
too many features to mention and free unlimited long distance too.

My cable company now offers VOIP but they are wanting to charge 10.00 more a month,
so until they FORCE the other carrier out of their cable lines, I'm going to continue to pay
the 10.00 less for the other service.

Personally (and this is ebay's doing)
I will steer CLEAR on anything with ebay's brand name on it.
If ebay bought Mickey D's... well no more chicken nuggets and happy meals for me.

Keep dreaming Comcast.

Keep dreaming Comcast. Skype is global with most users in Europa and China. Comcast has minimal presence outside the US. For a tool which is most useful for international calls, I doubt Comcast will be able to compete with Skype. But bring it on - the mor options the better for VOIP.

Comcast to Comcast creates a

Comcast to Comcast creates a smaller user base than Skype and Cableuser to Cableuser may be larger but still not as large a base as Skype. ComcastIn and ComcastOut, with conferenceing, callforwarding, voicemail, SMS send, Cablecasts, filetransfer, and video to boot all with some measure of presence visability and user serchability are all necessary to get to the on-ramp. If this could be achieved it would likely please the marketing folks at Skype who seem to have a devil of a time increasing the USA userbase so unaccustomed to VoIP let alone "free" concepts. There is a global revolution in the process and it does not include just telephony but will eventually bring Comcast and the cable content providers to the vortex.