Is it just me, or has Comcast severely overengineered their network?  I realize counting hops is not a great indication, but jeez, look at the route from Carteret, NJ to Sarasota, FL:

 1  *
 2  ge-2-2-ur01.avenel.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.220.105)  12.709 ms
 3  po-10-ur02.avenel.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.209.230)  9.448 ms
 4  po-10-ur01.union.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.209.234)  14.094 ms
 5  po-10-ur02.union.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.209.238)  11.804 ms
 6  po-10-ur01.jerseycity.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.209.242)  11.263 ms
 7  po-10-ur02.jerseycity.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.209.246)  9.671 ms
 8  po-10-ur01.narlington.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.209.250)  102.193 ms
 9  po-10-ur02.narlington.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.158.178)  10.928 ms
10  po-70-ar01.verona.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.209.254)  11.799 ms
11  te-0-7-0-7-crs01.plainfield.nj.panjde.comcast.net (68.86.72.18)  13.150 ms
12  te-4-1-cr01.newyork.ny.cbone.comcast.net (68.86.72.17)  14.084 ms
13  te-9-1-cr01.philadelphia.pa.cbone.comcast.net (68.86.68.5)  15.406 ms
14  te-9-1-cr01.mclean.va.cbone.comcast.net (68.86.68.1)  19.489 ms
15  te-9-1-cr01.richmond.va.cbone.comcast.net (68.86.68.113)  24.101 ms
16  te-9-1-cr01.charlotte.nc.cbone.comcast.net (68.86.68.109)  29.698 ms
17  te-2-3-ar01.augusta.ga.augusta.comcast.net (68.86.72.130)  33.294 ms
18  te-9-3-ar01.leesburg.fl.lakecnty.comcast.net (68.85.229.241)  44.113 ms
19  te-1-4-ar01.sumter.fl.lakecnty.comcast.net (68.85.210.2)  44.614 ms
20  te-7-1-ar01.venice.fl.westfl.comcast.net (68.85.229.245)  48.950 ms
21  te-9-1-ur01.palmerranch.fl.westfl.comcast.net (68.87.238.22)  48.943 ms
22  te-8-1-ur01.proctorrd.fl.westfl.comcast.net (68.87.238.38)  49.611 ms
23  GE-0-1-ubr02.proctorrd.fl.westfl.comcast.net (68.87.239.102)  49.894 ms
24  c-68-56-242-97.hsd1.fl.comcast.net (68.56.242.97)  59.860 ms

Half of those locations aren't even Comcast-serviceable areas (Charlotte is, ahem, Time Warner Cable).  So why all the routers?  From what I can gather, the packets ride local regional transit first, then hits the C-Bone (Comcast-to-Comcast transit?), then rides regional transit in Florida to the destination.  Compare that to a somewhat shorter trip from Ontario, CA to Charlotte, NC via Time Warner Cable:

 1  *
 2  cpe-76-89-176-1.socal.res.rr.com (76.89.176.1)  8.926 ms
 3  76.167.9.229  11.056 ms
 4  76.167.9.197  11.759 ms
 5  tge3-0-0.lsanca1-rtr1.socal.rr.com (76.167.2.76)  25.372 ms
 6  ae-3-0.cr0.lax00.tbone.rr.com (66.109.6.66)  21.038 ms
 7  ae-0-0.cr0.lax30.tbone.rr.com (66.109.6.5)  21.610 ms
 8  ae-5-0.cr0.dca20.tbone.rr.com (66.109.6.3)  86.679 ms
 9  ae-0-0.cr0.dca10.tbone.rr.com (66.109.6.30)  84.306 ms
10  66.109.6.81  92.312 ms
11  gig5-0-0.chrlncsa-rtr1.carolina.rr.com (24.93.64.20)  95.224 ms
12  srp1-1.chrlncdnb-rtr1.carolina.rr.com (24.93.67.165)  103.886 ms
13  gig0-1.chrlncdnb-ubr2.carolina.rr.com (24.93.65.162)  90.738 ms
14  cpe-071-075-164-178.carolina.res.rr.com (71.75.164.178)  105.334 ms

Aside from some missing PTR records, we ride regional transit to LA, hit the T-Bone to Ashburn, VA (Equinix), and then ride regional transit through Charlotte.

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