Cogent is experiencing two problems right now. Their automated message reports that they have a backbone problem causing latency, but they also seem to be experiencing peering problems with Sprint.

Output over Cogent:
sarglund-cogent>traceroute www.duke-energy.com
Translating "www.duke-energy.com"...domain server (66.28.0.45) [OK]

Type escape sequence to abort.
Tracing the route to www.duke-energy.com (192.234.122.137)

  1 g0-2.na01.b000629-0.ord01.atlas.cogentco.com (38.112.0.193) [AS 174] 0 msec 0 msec 0 msec
  2 g1-0.core01.ord01.atlas.cogentco.com (66.28.6.73) [AS 174] 0 msec 0 msec 0 msec
  3 t4-1.mpd01.ord01.atlas.cogentco.com (154.54.1.98) [AS 174] 4 msec 0 msec 0 msec
  4 v3488.mpd01.ord03.atlas.cogentco.com (154.54.5.26) [AS 174] 0 msec 0 msec 0msec
  5 g6-0-0-3492.core01.ord03.atlas.cogentco.com (154.54.3.241) [AS 174] 0 msec 0 msec 0 msec
  6 sprint.ord03.atlas.cogentco.com (154.54.13.46) [AS 174] 0 msec 4 msec 0 msec
  7 sl-bb20-chi-4-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.8.218) [AS 174] 0 msec 0 msec 0 msec
  8 sl-bb21-chi-15-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.26.2) [AS 174] 4 msec 4 msec 0 msec
  9 sl-bb25-chi-13-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.26.90) [AS 174] 0 msec 0 msec 0 msec
 10  *  *  *
 11  *  *  *
 12  *  *  *
 13  *  *  *
 14  *  *
sarglund-cogent>

vs.

Output over Verizon:
sarglund-gw>traceroute www.duke-energy.com
Translating "www.duke-energy.com"...domain server (198.6.1.2) [OK]

Type escape sequence to abort.
Tracing the route to www.duke-energy.com (192.234.122.137)

  1 500.Serial4-10.GW1.CHI2.ALTER.NET (157.130.165.213) [AS 701] 8 msec 0 msec 4msec
  2 0.so-0-0-0.XT1.CHI2.ALTER.NET (152.63.64.130) [AS 701] 4 msec 0 msec 0 msec
  3 0.so-7-0-0.XL1.CHI13.ALTER.NET (152.63.64.206) [AS 701] 4 msec 16 msec 4 msec
  4 0.so-6-0-0.BR2.CHI13.ALTER.NET (152.63.73.25) [AS 701] 4 msec 0 msec 44 msec
  5 sl-st21-chi-3-0-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.18.141) [AS 701] 32 msec 12 msec 12 msec
  6 sl-crs2-chi-0-1-0-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.18.154) [AS 701] 8 msec 16 msec 20 msec
  7 sl-bb25-chi-8-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.26.113) [AS 701] 12 msec 28 msec 12 msec
  8 sl-bb26-rly-10-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.20.88) [AS 701] 116 msec 216 msec *
  9 sl-bb21-dc-12-0-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.9.212) [AS 701] 24 msec 32 msec 36 msec
 10 sl-gw21-dc-15-0.sprintlink.net (144.232.15.9) [AS 701] 32 msec 28 msec 24 msec
 11 sl-dukenergy-57200-0.sprintlink.net (144.228.23.170) [AS 701] 40 msec 36 msec 40 msec
sarglund-gw>


enjoy,
-carl