That's the assertion that readers are making over at Ed Foster's Gripe Line.

To wit, Foster begins with a question: Can a vendor with a monopoly on providing one type of service to you cripple it if you refuse to buy other services from them as well?

"Comcast's use of phony TCP reset packets against some broadband customers has spurred several lawsuits and even today's FCC hearing, as well as hopefully refocusing public attention on the whole net neutrality issue,” Foster writes in Oh, no it's Comcastic.

It's not just broadband customers feeling the squeeze, either. "Indeed Comcast's fondness for nickel and diming its cable TV customers was clearly one of the big reasons it finished so strongly in the Worst Vendor poll," Foster adds. "I suppose we can hope that the FCC will find out exactly what Comcast is up to, although I'm not going to holding my breath."

Posted by Tom Sullivan on February 25, 2008 10:27 AM