Has your ISP been "weird" or slow lately?...here's why

I don't know about anyone else, but my ISP has been really slow the last couple days. Not to mention sites I usually frequent have either been blocked completely or load periodically. This may explain why, if you also are having any troubles:



Network feud leads to Net blackout
By John Borland
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
Published: October 5, 2005, 5:00 PM PDT


Two major Internet backbone companies are feuding, potentially cutting off significant swaths of the Internet for some of each other's customers.

On Wednesday, network company Level 3 Communications cut off its direct "peering" connections to another big network company called Cogent Communications. That technical action means that some customers on each company's network now will find it impossible, or slower, to get to Web sites on the other company's network.

William Steele, a senior network engineer for Syncro Services, said his company noticed the problem Wednesday morning.

"There are some people I can't send an e-mail to," Steele said. "At home, I have Road Runner as an ISP, and wasn't even able to remotely connect in order to manage our servers."

"Peering" arrangements are maintained by network companies that agree to connect their networks directly together to exchange traffic more efficiently. When the companies are of roughly equal size, money rarely exchanges hands.

Level 3 contends that its arrangement with Cogent is no longer financially viable, since it is larger than the other company. It has asked Cogent to seek other arrangements, possibly including paying for the traffic exchange, a Level 3 representative said.

Cogent CEO Dave Schaeffer contested that claim, saying that its network is at least as big as Level 3's, and that it makes no sense to pay for the connection. Cogent is offering any Level 3 user who can't get to Cogent sites free Internet service for a year, in an attempt to attract its rival's customers.
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"Our goal is to have this problem go away, whether through Level 3 reconsidering or their customers coming to us," Schaeffer said.

The Level 3 representative said the company was unlikely to reconsider its position, however.

The problem is likely to affect only a small number of each company's customers. Many network company customers have several connections to the Internet and can use an alternate connection to reach a site that might otherwise be blocked.

A similar Net blackout happened in 2001, when Cable & Wireless and PSINet were embroiled in a billing dispute.

Yet another some what related article:

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,16376,1585288,00.html

My problems are "computer" related. My PC was top ot the line 6 years ago, now I probably couldn't get a hundred bucks for it.

I have been having major internet problems lately. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. And when I do get on, especially on PP.O it's been really slow. But I always have problems with my internet connection so I don't know if it really has to do with the network feud. But that might be one explanation.

"PurplePackerEater" wrote:

Quote:

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My problems are "computer" related. My PC was top ot the line 6 years ago, now I probably couldn't get a hundred bucks for it.

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Wanna bet?

I like going to garage sales a lot. I see a ton of PC's. They never sell. They are priced at $10 or so. The only people who buy them is for their kids to play with. Thats what I have noticed.

I threw my old one right in the garbage.

I bought a new one 1 year ago. After rebates I only paid $375. They are so cheap and worth it to get a new one with a highspeed connection.

The laptop I bought last weekend was loaded and on clearance. I paid only $750. Not bad for a laptop.

Mine has been normal, except for PP.O seems to be loading a lot slower for some reason.

Yea it's running so slow that sometimes it takes forever to get my quota of posts in for the day! :lol:

"WBLVikeBabe" wrote:

Quote:

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Yea it's running so slow that sometimes it takes forever to get my quota of posts in for the day! :lol:

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What is your quota?

After looking at your photos, I cannot believe that a babe such as yourself needs to spend so much time on the PC. I am surprised hords of men are not beating down your door!

every once in awhile, pp.o for some strange reason won't load for me. once it loads up everything seems fine though.

ultra, you're right about WBL, she is a babe!

PP.O has been messing up for me.. I'll try to copy the message they send me after I post.. It says that it didn't post and send the message to Webbz or something