television cable internet service

[Lee_Shackelford at dot.ca.gov]

Greetings fellow B.S.D. enthusiasts.   Recently, I requested installation
of a television cable at my home in Sacramento, California.  The cable
operator is Comcast.  I requested connection of the television cable to my
computer, which is a service that the operator advertises profusely.  The
telephone sales representative assured me that all things are possible,
including both a Unix operating system, and an in-house L.A.N.  The
installation technician spent some time installing the cable, then attached
it through a Motorola DOCSYS modem to the NIC board on the computer.  The
computer saw the cable network, but the cable refused to accept a logon
request from the computer.  The technician said that he believed that
neither B.S.D. nor any other Unix, nor any Microsoft product that could be
programmed to act as a server was acceptable.  Has any other person had the
same problem?  How did you solve it?  If I insist on a B.S.D. connection,
how do I locate a B.S.D. friendly internet service provider in Sacramento?
If I insist on B.S.D., am I confined to a 56 kb Hayes-type telephone modem?
Any comments or advice is appreciated.  Lee_Shackelford at dot.ca.gov