Step 1 • device
You → your device
Every session starts here: your phone, laptop, or TV sends a request.
1 Complete Network Path Overview
This PingPlotter trace from Bremerton to Google (142.251.215.228) shows the full hop-by-hop path. The red bars indicate packet loss — data that never made it to its destination [PingPlotter]. The trouble clusters at specific upstream hops, while earlier segments remain stable in this capture [PingPlotter].
2 Your Home Network Hop 1
192.168.0.1 (Archer_AX55) — the local router. ~0.7 ms latency and no loss in this capture indicate a healthy home segment [PingPlotter].
3 Last Mile Infrastructure Hops 2–4
The local coaxial plant was first laid in the 1970s–1980s [1998 Plan]. Today, Bremerton pays $3.4M for government fiber [Wave contract] while residents suffer on this same 1970s coax. This is Infrastructure Apartheid.
Ownership chain: AT&T Broadband acquired TCI in 1999 [AT&T acquisition]; Northland's Bainbridge system changed hands in 2001 [Northland sale]; Comcast absorbed the systems in 2002 [Comcast merger]. In 2024, a single Comcast line cut caused widespread local disruption [outage report].
By 1998, TCI covered ~15,000 households under obligations to upgrade to a 54-channel system with fiber [Comp Plan p.98]. Northland served ~980 subscribers across Suquamish, Indianola, Bainbridge, and north Poulsbo [Comp Plan p.98], with Falcon/North Star in other pockets [Comp Plan p.98]. Before upgrades were delivered, AT&T/Comcast took over the plants [AT&T 1999].
When the line was cut in 2024, much of the county lost service [outage report]. The Bainbridge Island Library remained online via KPUD public fiber serving anchor institutions [BTOP anchors], and it was used by residents during the outage window [news].
When the public builds infrastructure, it works.
4 Public Middle Mile Hops 3–5
68.86.177.1 → 96.216.66.145 → 96.216.66.133 are the next Comcast-labeled hops in the trace [PingPlotter]. From here, transport parallels publicly funded regional routes built under KPUD/NOANet’s dark-fiber program [BTOP].
KPUD/NOANet backbone — county-owned public infrastructure constructed circa 2010 with federal/state investment and local matches [BTOP]. Latency is rock-solid across this span in the capture window [PingPlotter].
During the 2024 Comcast cut, the Bainbridge Island Library remained online via KPUD public fiber [news]. Residents flocked there for internet. Public infrastructure works. Private infrastructure failed.
Examples of CAIs: Bainbridge High School; Bremerton Fire Station #3; Manchester Elementary; Port Orchard EOC; Poulsbo Fire; Silverdale Library; Seabeck Elementary [BTOP CAIs].
Outcome: a robust county fiber backbone serving critical institutions — but not households [KPUD map]. Comcast interconnects with that backbone while residents fund both the public build (taxes) and private bills [double-pay].
The path forward: Retire obsolete coax last-mile create KMBA and allow it to extend fiber to homes where authorized [WA PUD]. The backbone is already public.
5 ISP Backbone — 19.5% PACKET LOSS
Hop 6 shows catastrophic 45% loss [evidence]. This isn't congestion—it's failure.
Similar, recurring backbone issues have been reported on Comcast’s Seattle iBone (e.g., sustained loss affecting VPNs) [Seattle iBone].
Meanwhile, Comcast marketing/public statements highlight upgrades and investment [Comcast PR].
6 Internet Exchange Recovery Hops 9–10
At Google’s edge (e.g., 142.251.70.97; 216.239.56.223), latency stabilizes and loss disappears in this trace segment [PingPlotter].
7 Destination Service Hop 11
www.google.com (142.251.215.228) responds with ~13 ms RTT and no loss in the capture window [PingPlotter].
8 Performance Over Time 10-minute window
The bottom graph shows variation from ~12:15–12:25; spikes align with packet-loss periods at the backbone hops in this sample [PingPlotter]. The pattern recurs in additional captures, especially during evening peak [PingPlotter].
! Critical Context: Operating Illegally
Comcast franchise expired May 2023 [County admission]. Wave expired January 2023 [documentation]. Both operating without valid authority for 20+ months while collecting fees.
9 The Clear Verdict
The ISP backbone is the single point of failure in these observations. Public infrastructure performs well and destination services are healthy; congestion and loss concentrate in Comcast’s regional core path in this dataset [PingPlotter].