MBTA Blocking TPM

I’ve been happy to see WiFi appearing on nearly every MBTA commuter rail car recently. I was less happy to see this:

No TPM on MBTA

No TPM on MBTA

I guess I’ll have to wait until I get home to find out why this bothered Steve so much.

Oddly, the MBTA’s web filter also blocked access to my WordPress editor, but unlike the TPM block, I could select “yes, I really want to do this” to get here.

I’ve never understood why web filters so often block these sorts of sites on apparently generic settings. “General News/Blogs/Wikis” are dangerous? Reputation “neutral”? I’d be surprised if anyone at the T actually did this on purpose, but I suppose it would fit the general pattern of operational incompetence.

Update: the problem appears to be real.

4 comments

  1. adamg Jul 1

    Could it be the bandwidth for the video, not the politics?

  2. adam Jul 1

    Definitely possible — I suppose that would make more sense. I’ll have to try some other video sites next time. Has anyone tested Youtube?

  3. adam Jul 2

    Confirmed that Youtube is also blocked. I suppose the bandwidth concern is legitimate when dozens of users are sharing a single 3G connection. Still, that doesn’t explain why my own blog is semi-blocked.

  4. adamg Jul 2

    I could also be wrong. See:

    http://twitter.com/clbergpowers/statuses/2444250483

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