[ale] comcast static IP?

[Jim Popovitch]

On Sun, 2005-01-23 at 11:05 -0500, Robert Heaven wrote:
> There is one specific advantage to using the "middle man" for tech
> support; his direct contact at BellSouth is at a much higher level
> than you, the individual, can get to. No matter how many times you
> call BellSouth and ask for an escalation, you'll never get as high up
> the food chain as the Middle Man can get.

Not necessarily.  Although this concept makes sense, it is not
universal.  I can't speak to the escalation practices at BellSouth, but
in the software industry where i work that is not the case.
Specifically, reseller technicians go through the same call support
process as end-users.  Again, not universal, but more often than not.

I've dealt with BellSouth business services in the past as a customer of
Savvis (pre C&W days).  Back then we had to open a trouble ticket with
Savvis, who opened a trouble ticket with WCOM, who had to open a trouble
ticket with BellSouth.  Each step had up to a 1 hour turn-around time,
totaling 3 hours just to get a response, and 3 more hours to get a
resolution.  As engineers dealing with engineers, if we had cut out the
middlemen the resolution (in this case a truck roll) would have occurred
sooner and our backhoe'd circuit would have been restored quicker.

The value of a middleman can only be assessed by each consumer.  In my
case I don't see the need.  YMMV.

-Jim P.