ISP Policy Opinions

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   So I emailed my ISP yesterday, and got a lenghty email back. Frankly, I am pretty pissed off and I want to know ya'lls opinions on the issue.
I sent them this:

 Email wrote:

Good Afternoon Sir or Mamm, 
My name is LCpl***********, and I am the Assistant to the *************************t Officer at the Marine Corps Detachment Fort Leonard Wood. I would like to have the following ports opened on your switch in Building*******so that way I can receive the full benfit of the service that I pay for. If you have any questions please feel free to reply to this email or call me on my cell phone. ***********TCP Ports: 
6667 - IRC 
7000 - IRC 
23 - Telnet 
21 - FTP 
3074- Xbox Live 
11124 - Skype 
443 - It says that this port is filtered/closed in any port scan I run, I can get to https:// sites, but I cannot use my tunneling client to get through to my box running SSH server back home.
UDP Ports: 
88 - Xbox Live 
3074 - Xbox Live 
Thank you, 
LCpl *****************
*************** 
***************
Fort Leonard Wood, Mo 
****************

Here are some excerpts from thier reply:

TCP Ports: 
6667 - IRC (Instant Relay Chat is primarily used for the transmission of copyrighted materials see http://www.jibble.org/irc-analysis/ but you can do a google search on “IRC used for illegal file sharing” & it should return about 482,000 references about it) (This port will remain closed)

7000 - IRC (Instant Relay Chat is primarily used for the transmission of copyrighted materials see http://www.jibble.org/irc-analysis/ but you can do a google search on “IRC used for illegal file sharing” & it should return about 482,000 references about it) (This port will remain closed)

I didn't realize IRC was a filiesharing system. Sounds like crap to but w/e.

11124 - Skype (I will quote Skype’s end user agreement & then expand on what it implies.) 
Article 4 Utilization of Your computer
4.1 Utilization of Your computer. You hereby acknowledge that the Skype Software may utilize the processor and bandwidth of the computer (or other applicable device) You are utilizing, for the limited purpose of facilitating the communication between Skype Software users.
4.2 Protection of Your computer (resources). You understand that the Skype Software will use its commercially reasonable efforts to protect the privacy and integrity of the computer resources (or other applicable device) You are utilizing and of Your communication, however, You acknowledge and agree that Skype cannot give any warranties in this respect.
What this is saying is by installing Skype you are giving permission for others to process calls through your computer. Others includes countries & even terrorists. This itself would be enough to block this application but Skype has all the same properties a “Trojan” has except the end user is knowingly installing this virus

Terrorists are going to hack my computer with skype oh noez! I giggled at that one.

21 - FTP (FTP downloading is allowed however uploading is blocked because it has been abused by users sharing copyrighted material)

So the acts of a few idoits who cause an entire service to be closed ISP wide? ok...

I'm sorry to inform you that your port request cannot be approved at this time. This is due to the huge security risk it poses to our network as well as every guest at Ft. Leonard Wood. Most guests do not have adequate anti-virus/anti-highjack protection on their computers, so opening these ports on the firewall basically negates any protection provided for the guest and could likely result in massive infestation inside the network.  Because of that fact we must configure the network for the protection of all the guests inside the network.  These ports must remain closed for the safety of the users & the hardware used to supply internet access to your room.
Because we cannot control what software the guest in lodging elect to install we have to close all but the absolute necessary ports required for web browsing, email & VPN. 

Most guests do not have adequate anti-virus/anti-highjack protection on their computers, so opening these ports on the firewall basically negates any protection provided for the guest and could likely result in massive infestation inside the network. 

Since when is it the ISP's problem to protect their users from an outside attack? The last time I check, if you got hacked due to having insuffient security, it was because you were an idoit. Since when is it the ISP's place to tell people what they can and cannot do on the internet they pay for. If it illegal, report them but they have no right to block people who are doing legitimate buisness from continuing to do so.
I sent the ISP a reply. I'll post up what it says later.

Edited by Snake6 - 20 November 2007 at 1:28pm