Could Comcast Do This, or Would they Dare?

[RichardV]

I handle my email using Outlook 2003. I use Comcast as my incoming provider
and my email address, but I no longer seem to be able to email anyone with a
Comcast.net address, including myself, when using my Outgoing provider,
Accellerated (abbmail.com). I can email any other address ,and I can also
email myself when sending test emails from Yahoo.

Our (pretty large) development recently dumped Comcast and signed on with
Accellerated (probably not a smart move!). Is it even remotely possible
that Comcast could identify emails being sent from Accellerated's server and
stop them as a retaliatory move? Would they dare? I've checked all my email
settings and they are correct, and each company tells me it is the other's
fault or it is an Outlook problem. If I use Comcast's email and send through
their server (testing), I can still email myself (and presumably other
comcast addresses), but I hate their format. Please don't get too technical
with me as I really won't understand it. I hope I've described the problem
so that it is intelligble. Thanks.

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Many mail providers block mail sent through servers that are not identified
as valid for the server in an attempt to block spam. I.e., Comcast blocks
mail sent from Comcast addresses that does not use Comcast smtp servers.
You'll need to use the abbmail address with their servers or use comcast
smtp.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Almost all ISPs will stop mail from being sent through their SMTP server from a foreign domain. This has been true for years. As well they should.

To use Comcast's SMTP server, you will either need to send from the Comcast connection or authenticate to their server. See the Comcast page for assistance. (And next time, post to a Comcast forum - this forum is for Outlook).


--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, RichardV asked:

| I handle my email using Outlook 2003. I use Comcast as my incoming
| provider and my email address, but I no longer seem to be able to
| email anyone with a Comcast.net address, including myself, when using
| my Outgoing provider, Accellerated (abbmail.com). I can email any
| other address ,and I can also email myself when sending test emails
| from Yahoo.
|
| Our (pretty large) development recently dumped Comcast and signed on
| with Accellerated (probably not a smart move!). Is it even remotely
| possible that Comcast could identify emails being sent from
| Accellerated's server and stop them as a retaliatory move? Would
| they dare? I've checked all my email settings and they are correct,
| and each company tells me it is the other's fault or it is an Outlook
| problem. If I use Comcast's email and send through their server
| (testing), I can still email myself (and presumably other comcast
| addresses), but I hate their format. Please don't get too technical
| with me as I really won't understand it. I hope I've described the
| problem so that it is intelligble. Thanks.

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

I handle my email using Outlook 2003. I use Comcast as my incoming
provider
and my email address, but I no longer seem to be able to email
anyone with a
Comcast.net address, including myself, when using my Outgoing
provider,
Accellerated (abbmail.com). I can email any other address ,and I can
also
email myself when sending test emails from Yahoo.

Our (pretty large) development recently dumped Comcast and signed on
with
Accellerated (probably not a smart move!). Is it even remotely
possible
that Comcast could identify emails being sent from Accellerated's
server and
stop them as a retaliatory move? Would they dare? I've checked all
my email
settings and they are correct, and each company tells me it is the
other's
fault or it is an Outlook problem. If I use Comcast's email and
send through
their server (testing), I can still email myself (and presumably
other
comcast addresses), but I hate their format. Please don't get too
technical
with me as I really won't understand it. I hope I've described the
problem
so that it is intelligble. Thanks.

For info on off-domain port 25 (SMTP) traffic blocked to thwart spam
from spammers or infected customers, read:

http://www.commercestreet.com/Blocking_Port_25.htm
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/mail/pop/pop-38.html

http://www.postcastserver.com/help/Port_25_Blocking.aspx
http://www.aota.net/Troubleshooting/port25.php4
http://www.spamhaus.org/faq/answers.lasso?section=ISP Spam Issues...
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_zdewk/is_200406/ai_ziff129473

http://www.google.com/search?q=+block++"port+25"++SMTP++spam

You are trying to cross Comcast's domain to get at an SMTP server that
is off-domain of Comcast. Many ISPs will block SMTP traffic that
doesn't use their own on-domain server. This is an anti-spam measure
where spammers from one domain attempt to originate e-mail from a
different domain. Comcast has and will continue to block SMTP traffic
from users they consider abusers. So you could use Comcast's own SMTP
server (and get a business account if your traffic load warrants it)
or you could use a different port than 25 to connect to the off-domain
mail host. From what I've heard, if Comcast blocks off-domain SMTP
traffic then it is blocking on port 25. Check what ports other than
25 your off-domain SMTP provider will support for connecting to them.
You also have to recognize that you are connecting to Accelerated from
off their domain, so even they may require additional setup, like
requiring you to use SSL, SPA, or non-standard ports. After all, it's
not like you are a qualified customer of their network for them to
know that you are granted access to their resources. So you will
probably need to authenticate to their SMTP server and perhaps with
non-standard setup.

 

[N. Miller]

I handle my email using Outlook 2003. I use Comcast as my incoming provider
and my email address, but I no longer seem to be able to email anyone with a
Comcast.net address, including myself, when using my Outgoing provider,
Accellerated (abbmail.com). I can email any other address ,and I can also
email myself when sending test emails from Yahoo.

You are using 'smtp.abbmail.com' when this happens?

Our (pretty large) development recently dumped Comcast and signed on with
Accellerated (probably not a smart move!). Is it even remotely possible
that Comcast could identify emails being sent from Accellerated's server...
Yes...

...and stop them as a retaliatory move? Would they dare?

Probably not.

I've checked all my email settings and they are correct, and each company tells
me it is the other's fault or it is an Outlook problem. If I use Comcast's email
and send through their server (testing), I can still email myself (and presumably
other comcast addresses), but I hate their format.

I am not sure I even understand this part. There are two components to email
format. The headers, which are controlled by SMTP protocol, and the message,
which is controlled by the mail client. SMTP is a standard protocol, and
largely transparent to the user.

What I am missing, here, and others seem to be assuming, without clearly
stated facts given by you, is which email service are you using when this
happens? It appears that you are using 'smtp.abbmail.com', but that you
still have access to 'smtp.comcast.net'. And that either
'smtp.abbmail.com', or 'smtp.comcast.net' is accepting email from your IP
connection to the Internet (which I can't verify because you are posting
through an HTTP client (web browser) instead of an NNTP client).

The problem seems to be that email sent through 'smtp.abbmail.com' works,
unless the recipient email address is of the form (<%User_ID%@comcast.net>),
but that you can send email through 'smtp.comcast.net' without issue.

 

[Rich/rerat]

RichardV,
When you say,
"Our (pretty large) development recently dumped Comcast and signed on with
Accellerated (probably not a smart move!)."

Are you still paying for Comcast service? Or are the Comcast services being
phased out inside of your development?
If your Comcast service is being phased out, Comcast may have given you a
"grace" period for receiving emails through their servers (POP access),
which will eventually cease. And requiring you to use their webmail
interface to send outgoing mail. As mentioned previously, if Accelerated
Cable, has taken control of the wiring for your development, they may also
be blocking access to Comcast's Outgoing Mail server. It may not be just a
Comcast action.

If you will be still a Comcast customer, you can try making these changes in
Outlook for your Comcast Acct.
1. In Outlook, (other versions will take a similar route)> TOOLS> Email
Accts> Change or View Email Accts> Select Comcast acct> Change button> More
Settings button> Outgoing Server tab> Check "My Outgoing Serving Requires
Authentication>
2. On the Advance tab> Change Outgoing Server PORT from "25" to either "465"
or "587" (w/o quotes). And only check the box under the Outgoing Server Port
Setting, "This Server requires encrypted connection (SSL)> Leave the check
box for incoming server unchecked.
3. You might consider increasing the timeout setting, a minute or two, it
might not be necessary, but it should cause any problem if you do.

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Rich/rerat
(RRR News) <message rule>
<<Previous Text Snipped to Save Bandwidth When Appropriate>>


I handle my email using Outlook 2003. I use Comcast as my incoming provider
and my email address, but I no longer seem to be able to email anyone with a
Comcast.net address, including myself, when using my Outgoing provider,
Accelerated (abbmail.com). I can email any other address ,and I can also
email myself when sending test emails from Yahoo.

Our (pretty large) development recently dumped Comcast and signed on with
Accellerated (probably not a smart move!). Is it even remotely possible
that Comcast could identify emails being sent from Accellerated's server and
stop them as a retaliatory move? Would they dare? I've checked all my
email
settings and they are correct, and each company tells me it is the other's
fault or it is an Outlook problem. If I use Comcast's email and send
through
their server (testing), I can still email myself (and presumably other
comcast addresses), but I hate their format. Please don't get too technical
with me as I really won't understand it. I hope I've described the problem
so that it is intelligble. Thanks.