Port Forwarding doesn't seem to have changed anything at all. I had a friend on Discord test this for me by sending me a message through tells and received the message about 30 seconds after saying he sent it.
Sadly, I can't connect directly into my modem as it only allows one ethernet cable to run directly into the router which is what I'm connected to. I have tried swapping out the Spectrum provided modem and router for my own purchased ones but was not able to get them to work even with technical support.
Both the modem and router have an automated updating system that I see happen every two or three months when the "service" light lights up and reboots both the modem and router.