Clark Howard's Tips
Comcast admits stacking the room for FCC hearingFebruary 27, 2008
Clark recently talked about Comcast's cable monopoly that has been violating Net neutrality by degrading your connection if you watch video they don't own or control. They claim they're doing so for network management reasons, but no one believes them.
The FCC recently held a hearing on Comcast's alleged infractions. The monopoly worried that the hearing room would be packed with opponents, so they actually paid people to go to the hearing and fill the seats. They were hiring extras to keep their opponents out of the room! When Clark first heard this, he really didn't believe Comcast could possibly be stacking the hearing room. But now the company admits to it. By that admission, Comcast is only bringing more attention to how it interferes with your freedom of speech.
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CLARK'S TIP TOPICS
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Why would Comcast want to make it unpleasant for you to watch a competitor's content online? This is about money, plain and simple; the Internet is hurting their cable business because so much TV and movie content is now available online for free. That allows customers to either cut back on their cable package or eliminate it altogether.
After the hearing, the FCC announced they'll come up with steps to discourage cable and Internet providers from behaving like this. Comcast, however, remains defiant and says the FCC doesn't have the right to do this.
One final thought: It's very dangerous when any monopoly decides to be judge, jury and executioner in determining what content you can and can't see. Our government has to make a stand now. If Comcast gets away with treading on the Constitution, how soon before others follow?
