CUT-THE-CABLE.COM

March 3, 2011

Comcast Contractor Accused of Raping a Child

Filed under: In the News — Tags: , , , , , , , — admin @ 5:22 pm
The following was found at  Click2Houston.com Click here to see the video   Feb 14, 2011 – HOUSTON — A Comcast worker has been accused of raping a 14-year-old girl.  Jose Torres was charged with aggravated assault of a child.  Investigators said Torres visited the family’s home last summer to try to sell them cable [...]

The following was found at  Click2Houston.com

Click here to see the video

 

Feb 14, 2011 – HOUSTON — A Comcast worker has been accused of raping a 14-year-old girl.  Jose Torres was charged with aggravated assault of a child.  Investigators said Torres visited the family’s home last summer to try to sell them cable service. The victim told police that two nights later, Torres came back, broke into her family’s trailer and put a knife to her throat while she was sleeping.  The girl’s mother asked her ‘Why didn’t you call out?’”   She said her daughter replied, “because he said he would kill everyone and me.”

Jose Torres -Accused Comcast Rapist

Torres left a business card with the family last summer.  The girl later identified Torres from a photo spread.  A KPRC reporter called the number on the card Monday afternoon and was able to speak to Torres.  He told the reporter that he has been cooperating with police and suggested the charge is a case of mistaken identity.

A spokesman for Comcast said Torres worked for one of the company’s contractors.  They said he passed a criminal background check before he was hired. He was fired shortly after police opened an investigation.

Comcast issued the following statement: “We are horrified by these very serious allegations and have been cooperating with the authorities since their investigation began. Upon hearing of this incident, we immediately removed Mr. Torres from working on our behalf.”

OK folks, so here’s the deal.  We’ve seen a number of other Comcast manufactured criminal that have been well documented on this site.  If we use the same set of standards that Comcast uses to hire employees and/or contractors, then we would have to say “Sorry Comcast, but you do not pass MY background check”  YOU ARE FIRED!  Where there is smoke there is fire as they say.

I firmly believe that everyone is innocent until proven guilty and this is not an indictment of Mr. Torres.  This is purely an indictment of Comcast via clear evidence that they have no regard for their customers or the community at large. If Comcast is using contractors to send individuals to your home, then do they really know who these people are?  DO THEY EVEN CARE?  Obviously NOT.

September 17, 2010

What Comcast is Telling their Investors

Filed under: CMCSK — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:46 am
Check out the entire report at Wiki Invest where they take stockholder reports and create a very effective execute summary.  I’ve included a few key statements from the report here since the link supplied above will most likely update the content with new information as it comes out. < Business Overview > NBC Universal Deal [...]

Check out the entire report at Wiki Invest where they take stockholder reports and create a very effective execute summary.  I’ve included a few key statements from the report here since the link supplied above will most likely update the content with new information as it comes out.

< Business Overview >

NBC Universal Deal

“…Comcast will benefit from the deal by further vertically integrating backward into the production side of media as well as adding large and profitable cable franchises to its national cable business.  However, the deal has raised some questions about net neutrality and antitrust issues, requiring the deal to undergo lengthy regulation reviews before it is passed, to ensure that Comcast does not obtain too much power in the media world.”  [...not to mention that it will drastically increase Comcast's lobbying expenses to buy off all of the politicians and regulators.]

BreakDown of 2009 Revenues ($35.8 BILLION)

  • Video (54.2%): “…This revenue increase was due mostly to rate adjustments [otherwise known as PRICE INCREASES] as well as customers upgrading to Comcast’s more expensive digital video services. This increase in revenue is significant because Comcast lost approximately 623,000 customers between 2008 and 2009 due to increased competition.“  [This statement comes directly from their 2009 10-K report.  You and I know exactly why Comcast lost all of those customers and you might say that this is a gross MISREPRESENTATION to their stockholders, but I'm sure that a good lawyer could argue in court that "competition" could be construed as  FREE OVER-THE-AIR TV or even competition with the consumer himself for the few dollars left in his pocket.]
  • Internet (21.7%)
  • Phone (9.1%) “Comcast earned $3.3 billion in revenue from its phone services, a substantial increase from its 2008 revenues of $2.6 billion”
  • Advertising (4%) “Comcast’s advertising segment earns revenue through programming license agreements with programming networks.” [OK, so check this out...Comcast has to throw price increases at consumers because of rising programming costs, yet they freely admit that they DRIVE UP THE COST THEMSELVES with "you scratch may back and I'll scratch yours" advertising deals with the programmers.  Comcast uses the higher programming costs to justify higher rates, AND they get $1.4 Billion in advertising revenue as PURE GRAVY...WHAT A SCAM!!!]
  • Other (3%) “Comcast earns revenue through its regional sports networks, digital media center, on-screen guide advertising, and fees from various other services. In 2009, Comcast earned $1.1 billion in revenue in its other segment.” [This one cracks me up!  If they can be so blatant about their EXTORTION in the defined segments, can you imagine what they might be hiding in the "OTHER" category?  I see more advertising here too.  Why isn't that in the 'advertising' category?]
  • Franchise Fees (2.7%)
  • Programming (4.2%) “…mainly through advertising sales and from subscriber license fees for its networks, which include E!, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, and Style.”  [Looky here, more advertising.  If you add up all of the real advertising revenue we're talking about 11.2% which would probably raise the eyebrows of regulators and auditors...or at least line their pockets a little more.  The real issue is how do we get Comcast OUT OF THE PROGRAMMING BUSINESS?  Forget that.  They are getting deeper into it.]

< Trends and Forces >

NBC Deal Subject to Regulatory Approval [Yeah, we know all about this but the deal will go through and the politicians will get their COMCAST BONUS BUCKS for making it happen]

The Cable TV market is shifting to a new digital system, which is upsetting some customers

“In areas all over the United States, cable providers are requiring their subscribers to shift to a new digital system… The benefits for Comcast are obvious: they can offer a lot more channels compared to analog offerings. However, many customers are upset that there is no option to maintain the old analog option for a lower price, which is driving down the collective satisfaction of Comcast’s consumers.”  [Here's another case of 'smoke & mirrors'.  Comcast could easily provide a digital package to their customers that is priced the same or lower than the 'old analog option', but they simply refuse to do so.]

Net Neutrality

“Congress is considering legislation that would allow broadband Internet providers–like Comcast–to charge for preferred delivery of digital content. “Net neutrality” advocates are lobbying Congress to treat all web content the same, as is the current standard. Comcast and other Internet providers claim they should be able to sell premium service to larger users of their networks, since they are investing heavily to build and maintain such networks. If legislation is passed to prevent Comcast from charging premium prices for differentiated delivery, it would limit Comcast’s future revenue growth.”  [This is the scariest thing going on.  As stated here, Comcast's business plan moving forward relies upon the demise of Net Neutrality.  This means that we may have to pay for things on the Internet that we take for granted as Free to the Public today.]

August 30, 2010

Comcast/NBCU Merger Under DOJ Microscope

Filed under: In the News — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 6:21 pm
The Department of Justice is examining how the proposed $13.75 BILLION deal of Comcast acquiring NBC Universal from General Electric might adversely affect the blossoming Internet video market.  There are fears that the new Comcast could potentially stunt the Internet video industry’s growth.  The agency’s antitrust division is looking into whether or not Comcast could [...]

The Department of Justice is examining how the proposed $13.75 BILLION deal of Comcast acquiring NBC Universal from General Electric might adversely affect the blossoming Internet video market.  There are fears that the new Comcast could potentially stunt the Internet video industry’s growth.  The agency’s antitrust division is looking into whether or not Comcast could potentially control distribution rights to significant amounts of television programming on the Internet, which would effectively block potential competition.

Companies like Netflix and others are providing access to television programming and movies over the Internet which is encroaching on the traditional market of cable and satellite companies, which in turn are trying to fend off the competition by creating Internet-based distribution methods of their own.  Current regulations require cable companies that own content (like Comcast) to make that programming available on reasonable terms to rivals.

DISH and DirecTV have added their 2-cents into the discussion by requesting that those regulations be extended to any Comcast/NBCU content that’s delivered over the Net.  [Hmmm, do you think they fear that Comcast will be looking to make some content EXCLUSIVE to Internet distribution to bypass existing regulations?]

They are also looking closely at Comcast’s efforts to give its cable customers online access to some TV content that isn’t widely available online now, and how that might affect access to those programs by other Internet providers. That might result in fewer competitors over time so that consumers would end up paying more for video in general.  [LOL,,,if WALMART can do it and get away with it, why not COMCAST?]

“The success of the online-video-business model depends critically on access to online content, and strict conditions on the transaction would be necessary to thwart” any attempts by Comcast-NBCU to block access, Dish wrote in a complaint to the FCC detailing its support for broadening the existing regulations.

Comcast’s response to the complaint: “Online video is not a substitute” for multichannel video programming.  “In addition, several impediments – technological, pricing related, and rights related – make it highly unlikely that online video will become a substitute” for such service “in the foreseeable future.” [...so let us just SQUASH it before it does and we'll be doing you a favor too]

Although the transaction is expected to be approved late this year or early in 2011, the government does have some leverage and it could impose conditions particularly because of the FCCs involvement which has broader authority to act to stop anything that it deems to be against the public interest.Regardless of the outcome of this deal, the DOJ & FCC will most likely continue to investigate whether cable operators are acting to thwart emerging competition from the Web. If so, they could file a suit under the Sherman Antitrust Act for anti-competitive behavior.  [...in which case they will pay what seem to be a hefty fine but will only amount to a drop in the bucket compared to the stolen revenues and lost opportunity cost for Internet Video companies that could have been great if only they had a fighting chance]

August 11, 2010

Comcast + Blockbuster = ???

Filed under: CMCSK,In the News — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 1:54 pm
Blockbuster has jumped in bed with Comcast and should they produce any offspring you can be sure that the combined DNA of these two companies will spell nothing but trouble with a capital “T” for consumers. A talking head for Comcast describes the deal as a marketing agreement where Comcast will be able to offer [...]

Blockbuster Logo

Blockbuster has jumped in bed with Comcast and should they produce any offspring you can be sure that the combined DNA of these two companies will spell nothing but trouble with a capital “T” for consumers.

A talking head for Comcast describes the deal as a marketing agreement where Comcast will be able to offer discounts on Blockbuster’s DVD-By-Mail service to certain Comcast customers. As part of the agreement, Comcast will not take a cut of any related revenue, but will provide deeper discounting for customers who decide to take advantage of the Blockbuster DVD-By-Mail service. It wasn’t immediately clear how much the deal might be worth to Blockbuster.

“It’s not about a financial benefit, but about targeting (our) the products to Blockbuster customers,” the Comcast talking head said.

As part of the model, Blockbuster stores have been promoting Comcast’s triple-play (otherwise known as the “3-Card Monte”) services.

Here’s the real scoop folks…Blockbuster is in big financial trouble and is grasping at straws.  Comcast sees an opportunity to get some cheap advertising through Blockbuster, but mostly they want their customer list.   When Blockbuster goes bankrupt about 18-months from now, Comcast will swoop down on all of the former Blockbuster customers with a “teaser” deal that they can’t refuse.

It is no different than a street corner crack dealer handing out free samples to the neighborhood kids to get them hooked so they can score the BIG BUCKS on the back end.

COMCAST…DEALING YOUR FAVORITE DRUG SINCE 1963

July 3, 2010

Al Franken Weighs in on Comcast/NBCU Merger

Filed under: In the News — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 9:27 pm
Reprinted from The Hill: Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) blasted the prospective Comcast-NBC Universal merger and pressed Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan for her views on net neutrality during her confirmation hearing this week. Kagan declined to weigh in on the pending merger, but said that First Amendment rights should not be used as a kind [...]

Reprinted from The Hill:

Senator Al Franken

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) blasted the prospective Comcast-NBC Universal merger and pressed Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan for her views on net neutrality during her confirmation hearing this week.

Kagan declined to weigh in on the pending merger, but said that First Amendment rights should not be used as a kind of free pass when companies are charged with anti-competitive conduct.

“The First Amendment does not provide a general defense to the anti-trust laws,” she told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “In general, the anti-trust laws are the anti-trust laws and they apply to all companies.”

When Franken asked more explicitly about how net neutrality might be legally defended, Kagan declined to take a stance on what she characterized as a policy issue. But she generally supported Franken’s description that free-speech rights promote media diversity.

“One of the purposes of the First Amendment is to ensure a public sphere in which all kinds of thoughts and views can be expressed and we can learn from all of them,” she said.

Franken reinforced the strong stance he took earlier this year in opposition to the merger.

“Comcast is already extremely powerful,” he said. “It’s the nation’s largest cable operator and also the largest home Internet service provider. If it owned both the pipes and the programming it would have the ultimate ability to keep others from publishing.”

He warned that other major Internet service providers may decide to follow the Comcast into the content arena.

“I worry that if Comcast and NBC merge, AT&T and Verizon are going to decide that they have to buy ABC or CBS and that will mean there will be less independent programming, fewer voices, and a smaller marketplace of ideas,” he said.

Franken broached net neutrality during Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings last year as well.

A Saturday Night Live Comedian gets it.  What can be so hard? Speaking of SNL, can you imagine what it would end up being if Comcast gets their hands on it?

June 30, 2010

Comcast Increasing Rate 50%

Filed under: Bully Tactics — Tags: , , , , , , — admin @ 8:48 am
That’s right folks, you heard it here first.  This is a Cut-The-Cable (CTC) EXCLUSIVE! On July 1, 2010 Comcast will be raising the rate that it costs you to pay them through Western Union Convenience Pay at your local supermarkets in cash from $1.00 to $1.50.  See it for yourself. Here’s the story that goes [...]

That’s right folks, you heard it here first.  This is a Cut-The-Cable (CTC) EXCLUSIVE!

On July 1, 2010 Comcast will be raising the rate that it costs you to pay them through Western Union Convenience Pay at your local supermarkets in cash from $1.00 to $1.50.  See it for yourself.

Comcast SUX Again!

Comcast 7/1/10 Rate Increase

Here’s the story that goes along with this gem.  On Sunday 6/27/10 my wife and I are out grocery shopping.  The grocery store was completely out of one of the sale items that we were looking to pick up, so after checking out we headed over to the courtesy booth to get a ‘rain check’ for the sale item.  That’s when I spied this little item that was prominently laminated and taped to the from of the counter.  It reads “ATTENTION (grocery store name obfuscated so that the store manager doesn’t get fired) CUSTOMERS.  EFFECTIVE July 1, 2010.  The Service Fee for Comcast wil increase from $1.00 to $1.50.  This is a Western Union Convenience Pay ® service fee payable in cash only.  THANK YOU for your business!”

Well, of course I had to get all of the details on this from the grocery store manager (GSM) so here is what he told me.

CTC: Hi, I’m doing an article for the Internet regarding Comcast and I was wondering if I could take a few pictures of your Courtesy Booth area.

GSM: I’m sorry but picture taking within the store is not allowed unless your get permission from our corporate headquarters.

CTC: Ok, then would it be possible to get a copy of the rate increase notice that is posted?

GSM: Sure, I can help you with that.  [GSM struggles to remove tape from the front of the posted notice.]  I’ll tell you what, you just need a picture of this notice right?  I’ll let you take that if you PROMISE to cross out the store name at the top.

CTC: I promise. [*CLICK*]  Do you mind if I ask you a few questions regarding Comcast?

GSM: I’ll try to answer what I can.

CTC: Do you know if this rate increase is being driven by Comcast or Western Union?  Who receives the fee?

GSM:  We receive a very small portion for doing our part.  Western Union Convenience Pay is the service used by most of the companies that we collect for and the rates are not going up for those other companies, so I am 99% sure that the rate increase is all going to Comcast.

CTC: Why would someone pay you a service fee to take their money?  Wouldn’t it be cheaper to pay their bill using a 1st class stamp?

GSM: …or even the Internet.  I wold say that most of the people that pay their bills in cash at our service booth are the ones that do not have a checking account and either do not have Internet service or are not very computer savvy.  They are probably from a different socio-economic situation than you and I.

CTC: One last question, About how many Comcast transactions do you handle n a month, and what is the average amount of each transaction?

GSM: Oh, it’s very small, maybe 1% of our business and the size of the bill is for whatever is typical for just basic cable TV, what is that, about $50 a month, and then you tack on all of those taxes and other charges.

CTC:  Thank you very much for your time

GSM: No problem.  Just remember to take the store name off of that picture or I’m hunting you down!

Now I look over to my wife and I’m all proud that I was able to nail this story, and she’s looking down at the frozen items that are beginning to melt and giving me the STINK EYE!  I wonder if Matt Drudge has those issues?

I contacted Western Union and they assured me that the rate increase was not coming from their end, so at this point it is all being chalked up to more Comcast greed.  It is obvious to me that the people that are paying their Comcast bills at the grocery store are the ones that can least afford it, and by increasing the fee that they charge for processing a cash payment Comcast is rubbing salt into the wound.

My opinion is that by allowing alternate means of paying for their services by cash though local grocery stores and other outlets, Comcast has grouped itself with the likes of electric companies, telephone companies, and other services that are all regulated in some form or another by Public Utility Commissions.  If Comcast wants to act like a utility, I say that they should be treated like one too and have the local and state regulatory bodies enact some PRICE CONTROL on them.

June 15, 2010

Comcast Accused of Attempted Bribe

Filed under: Bully Tactics,In the News — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 11:02 am
Read this story re-printed from BLODIC.US Congresswoman Suggests That Comcast Tried To Bribe Her To Support Merger 6/9/10 – With plenty of scrutiny still facing the proposed merger between NBC and Comcast.  Representative Maxine Waters strongly suggested that someone from the company tried to bribe her to get her to support the merger: During a House [...]

Read this story re-printed from BLODIC.US

Maxine Waters

Congresswoman Suggests That Comcast Tried To Bribe Her To Support Merger
6/9/10 – With plenty of scrutiny still facing the proposed merger between NBC and Comcast.  Representative Maxine Waters strongly suggested that someone from the company tried to bribe her to get her to support the merger:

During a House Judiciary Committee that took place in L.A. on Monday, Representative Maxine Waters stated that she had received a call from “somebody at Comcast” asking, ‘What do you want?’”

Waters, who has been grilling the cable giant on issues of ethnic diversity, claims she replied by explaining the need for greater diversity in media. However, Waters says the Comcast caller responded by saying, “I’m talking about what do you want?”

Comcast, not surprisingly, denies any suggested wrongdoing:


Any implication that anyone ever inquired about what Congresswoman Waters would want personally is completely untrue. We meet and discuss the proposed joint venture with many members of Congress and other leaders. We have repeatedly tried to understand Congresswoman Waters’ concerns so that we can address them.

[It sounds to me like her concern is that you INSULTED HER INTEGRITY.  Maybe a few more ZEROS will help fix the situation]

June 4, 2010

Comcast’s COO Steve Burke Speaks Once Again

Filed under: Insider Stuff — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 8:40 pm
On June 2nd, 2010 Comcast COO Steve Burke was let out of his cage and allowed to speak at the“All Things Digital Conference”. I love it when Comcast lets Steve speak in public. He is like the Joe Biden of corporate America…you never know what he is going to say but you can always be [...]

On June 2nd, 2010 Comcast COO Steve Burke was let out of his cage and allowed to speak at the“All Things Digital Conference”. I love it when Comcast lets Steve speak in public. He is like the Joe Biden of corporate America…you never know what he is going to say but you can always be sure that it will be very “telling”.

This is a Big F#$%ing Deal, Right Pres?

His first comments have to do with the proposed Comcast/NBC Universal merger. He says that Comcast isn’t looking to get rid of NBC Universal’s movie studios or theme parks, saying that all of its parts are part of a good media company. [Translation: "Look out NBCU employees, sell-offs and layoffs are on the way"]

“Our modus operandi is not to sell things,” Burke said noting that all of NBC Universal’s many businesses make it “well-rounded.” [Translation: ”A Theme Park? What were they thinking? I'll bet we can get a few bucks from Six Flags for that dog”]

However, while he said that content and distribution can make for a good marriage, he said that is only the case if they are actively brought together well. “They don’t work together unless you make them work together,” he said. [Translation: “This whole merger thing is all about Price Fixing folks so get ready to see your cable bill go even higher as we rake in the profits”]

As for the company’s traditional distribution business over cable, Burke said he is not worried that Americans will choose to give up subscription television in favor of Hulu and other alternatives.

“There’s very little evidence people are giving up their subscription television,” he said. “All these other things are complementary.” [Translation: “We've paid Millions to marketing gurus to come up with package deals that insure our customers wont dump cable TV in favor if Internet programming. And if they try to, our Internet Management team will will send out RESET packets to cut off their connections to HULU and other content sites.  That's just what we did with that BitTorrent traffic and the FCC couldn't do anything about it. This is what Comcast calls Responsible Network Management.”]

One of the audience members [a Comcast shill] asked about the company’s efforts to police its high-speed Internet use.

“It’s very important to us that we provide really reliable, very fast Internet service,” he said. “We believe in an open Internet…That having been said, you need to make sure that the network is run efficiently and well.” [Translation: “We could give a RATS ASS about an open Internet and if you read our customer Terms & Conditions you will see that we can block & filter traffic all day long (just because we can) and you don't have a thing to say about it.”]

Protecting privacy and copyright, he said, are also important aims,” he said. “It’s very, very complicated. You walk this fine line trying to make sure the highway is not jammed with cars.” [Translation: “We OWN the highway Bee-otch, and we own the Tow Trucks that will clear away any traffic that is not generating revenue for Comcast.”]

Another questioner pointedly told Burke that a lot of his customers hated the company because of its service.

“You don’t get it right all the time,” he said, but said the company has spent hundreds of millions on both its system and customer service.

“We are clearly getting better,” he said. “It’s a competitive world. If you don’t take care of your customers, they will go somewhere else.” [Translation: “Clearly, we couldn't care less because in most markets we are the only option available, and where there IS 'so-called' competition you will find very little difference in the pricing or service offerings. So as you can see, the whole playing field is rigged tighter than a crooked casino. The dice are loaded. We've sliced up the whole U.S. map and negotiated territories with the other cable giants just like a scene out of 'The Godfather' and I'm Don frigin' Corleone! You need your ShowTime Crack and HBO heroine and between all of the Good Old Boys that are in the business of supplying you with your drug of choice, we'll make sure that you pay the price. Customer Service! Ha! Real customer service is an unnecessary expense that eats into our bottom line so don't hold your breath.”]

Yeah, we get it Steve. DAMN YOU'RE SMOOTH!

May 14, 2010

Property Taxes Up 9.9% in Comcast Town

Filed under: Fubars,In the News,Rants — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 6:05 pm
In the news, May 14, 2010 from NBCs Philadelphia affiliate: If you live in Philadelphia, higher property taxes and a fee for trash pickup may be two things you’ll pay for next year.  Philadelphia City Council approved Mayor Michael Nutter’s $3.9 billion budget for 2011 with a vote Thursday evening.  To fill in a $150 [...]

In the news, May 14, 2010 from NBCs Philadelphia affiliate:
If you live in Philadelphia, higher property taxes and a fee for trash pickup may be two things you’ll pay for next year.  Philadelphia City Council approved Mayor Michael Nutter’s $3.9 billion budget for 2011 with a vote Thursday evening.  To fill in a $150 million budget gap, officials made several tax increases, the most notable being a 9.9-percent jump in property taxes, officials told NBC Philadelphia. That increase will only last for two years [That's what they all say].  The 9.9 percent temporary tax hike has to get final approval from council next week.  Council also passed measures that will institute a new, yearly $300 fee for trash pickup from small businesses, duplexes and apartment buildings and a tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco.

Flash Back to November 2004

Comcast Center - Philly

Comcast was not able to get their new COMCAST CENTER at One Pennsylvania Plaza in Philadelphia designated as a Keystone Opportunity Improvement Zone (KOZ) even though they had the support of Pennsylvania Governor Rendell.   The KOZ designation would have exempted tenants from most taxes for fifteen years as a way to encourage development in disadvantaged areas.  This ploy did not get past House Republicans in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.  However, later that year Governor Rendell released $30 million from the Redevelopment Assistance Budget to Liberty Property Trust. Through the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development, Comcast received $12.75 million that included a $4 million opportunity grant, $6.75 million in job creation tax credits, and $2 million in job training assistance. Despite their failure of receiving KOZ status, the project received $42.75 million in financial incentives from the state. [Hmmm, do you thing that Rendell owns any Comcast stock or just gets paid under the table?]

Jump forward to April 28th, 2010 (less than 1-month ago)

Comcast Corp (CMCSA) reports 4th quarter earnings.  Revenues are up 3.8% to $9,2 BILLION [with a capital "B" folks]. Comcast’s stock has risen around 12% this year but counterparts like Time Warner Cable and Cablevision have risen around 29% and 23 % respectively. [Translation: Comcast and the cable industry as a whole are robbing the public blind and are laughing all the way to the bank]

For those of you that have been following the bouncing ball, we have a clear illustration of some of the root causes of the  problems facing tax paying home owners in Philly today.

“A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship”  — Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee

May 12, 2010

Help Save the Internet from Comcast

Filed under: In the News — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 2:32 pm
The gauntlet has been thrown down and a show down is brewing. On April 6th, A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously tossed out the FCC’s August 2008 cease and desist order against Comcast, which had taken measures to stop their  ‘management’ of BitTorrent transfers. Because the FCC [...]

The gauntlet has been thrown down and a show down is brewing. On April 6th, A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously tossed out the FCC’s August 2008 cease and desist order against Comcast, which had taken measures to stop their  ‘management’ of BitTorrent transfers.

Because the FCC “has failed to tie its assertion” of regulatory authority to an actual law enacted by Congress, the agency does not have the power to regulate an Internet provider’s network management practices, wrote Judge David Tatel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. [But Your Honor, isn't the whole concept of Network Management as it pertains to the Internet contrary to the fundamental tenets of Net Neutrality?]

So, what is this “Net Neutrality” that everyone is making such a fuss about?  Here’s a quick and dirty video to give you the run down.

So that sounds simple enough, right?  Well here’s the rest of the story…

The April 6th decision could doom the whole initiative to empower the FCC along these lines.  Comcast (and other ISPs for that matter) can now BLOCK ANY AND ALL WEB SITES without any fear of repercussions and could eliminate the agency’s ability to write new open- Internet rules.

Fortunately this is not the end.  The FCC may appeal the case, and may seriously consider placing Internet services into a stricter regulatory classification by moving Internet service under telephone rules which could happen with a simple simple majority vote within the agency. [To some this might seem like a step backward, but from a political standpoint, it may be a necessary evil to get the job done]

The large ISPs claim that such a reclassification of Internet service would have far-reaching and destructive consequences including years of investment-deterring uncertainty and litigation.  [Whatever!  The bottom line is that if we want The Internet to continue to be The Internet, then someone need to keep these big boys on a leash]

So what can you do you ask?  Go to “Save The Internet” which is sponsored by Free Press and sign the petition.  Let the FCC know that you are on their side.  Tell them that you want the regulations needed to insure that the Internet will not be turned into something else altogether.  Tell them you want regulated pricing for Internet services.  Let them know that we believe in the free market, but the large ISPs refuse to compete on price which creates an artificially inflated cost to the consumers.

Click here >>>> “Save The Internet”

[...and Thank You for your support]

Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress