What we are about to show you is horrible, disgusting, and completely steps over the line of decency; nay, it obliterates it. We warn you ahead of time, the material we will present to you is not suitable for children, and is in fact so horribly graphic that you may never be quite the same (we are not responsible for injury or nausea). We present to you, dear reader, several traceroutes from Cox subscribers in Northern Virginia.

The most recent event in the long chain of horrid service for Cox customers in Virginia, was a vote from Fairfax County supervisors to fine the provider $2,000 a day and up to $2 million more for failing to complete upgrades of its cable network. This comes after an earlier threat by the county to revoke their franchise agreement. Despite the arguments, threats, fees, fines, and general foot stomping, the area hasn't seen significant improvement in service. The proof however, is in the pudding:


Behold the horror of packet loss


A swath of crimson!


But at least there's no latency

"Our deep commitment to provide county residents with the premier communications network in the country has never wavered," said Gary McCollum, vice president and general manager of Cox's Northern Virginia operation, in a recent statement. The battle between Cox and Fairfax county has been raging for three years, since the company purchased the network of Media General Co. in 1999. One day before network upgrades were scheduled to be completed this May, Cox informed the county that the network was only 65% complete. Since that time, it's been a wash of wrangling and deal making, with the customers paying the price.

If you're interested in giving sympathy to the poor wretched souls who own these freakish broadband connections, head over to our Cox forum. There you'll find further gruesome evidence to satiate your thirst for blood. If you're taste is particularly macabre, you can head back to early 2001, and witness the birth of the horror first hand.