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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.]

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 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 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]

August 14, 2009

Comcast Fights FCC Net Neutrality Order

Filed under: In the News — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 10:12 am
In spite of the public outlash and the resulting FCC order to discontinue throttling of peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic, Comcast feels that the FCC has over-stepped its authority and has filed an appeal to the ruling.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will be hearing the case and final briefs are due [...]

In spite of the public outlash and the resulting FCC order to discontinue throttling of peer-to-peer (P2P) traffic, Comcast feels that the FCC has over-stepped its authority and has filed an appeal to the ruling.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit will be hearing the case and final briefs are due by Nov. 23, 2009.

In Comcast’s corner will be: (The Profiteers)

  •  The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA)
  • NBC Universal
  • Qwest Communications International Inc

On the side of the FCC are: (The Public)

  • Vuze Inc.
  • Consumers Union of U.S. Inc.
  • Consumer Federation of America
  • Free Press
  • Public Knowledge
  • The Open Internet Coalition

Please contact any or all of these organizations standing on the side of the FCC and show your support.

June 9, 2009

Comcast Forces Internet Subscribers to Use their DNS Servers

Filed under: Rants — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 9:21 am
Here’s one for the extreme Internet techies.  ***WARNING*** The author uses some harsh language in the original post. We’ve all experienced the annoying Internet redirection tricks folks like Comcast play, when you mistype a site name and you end up on an annoying advertising page because their DNS server resolves it to their own server?  Well, it’s [...]

Here’s one for the extreme Internet techies.  ***WARNING*** The author uses some harsh language in the original post.

We’ve all experienced the annoying Internet redirection tricks folks like Comcast play, when you mistype a site name and you end up on an annoying advertising page because their DNS server resolves it to their own server?  Well, it’s worse than you think.

Internet techies have been able to avoid this obnoxious behavior by pointing to another DNS server.  But Comcast has put a stop to that.  What they do is to take any UDP traffic bound for port 53 on any server and redirect it to their own server.  This means that you simply can’t use a different DNS server, even if you have one.

The author goes on to show how he PROVED that this is taking place.  So much for NET NEUTRALITY!

Chalk up another one for the SQUIRRELS at Comcast

banjosquirrel1

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