All Things Net Neutrality

Divide and Conquer

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Received More Than $100,000 from Comcast Before Boosting Merger (http://www.ibtimes.com/chicago-mayor-rahm-emanuel-received-more-100000-comcast-boosting-merger-1676264)
Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago received numerous campaign contributions from Comcast executives before officially supporting its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable.

Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) is bragging of widespread support for its proposed $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE:TWC), but the victory chant is drowning out an important detail: Some of that support from public officials has followed big campaign contributions from Comcast executives.

Also, if I'm not mistaken Comcast's possible throttling of Netflix is actually being officially questioned by FCC officials though it still seems to be in the kid gloves phase. The following is a very detailed article that dates back to the start of Netflix's streaming service and their long standing feud with Comcast.

DailyTech - Comcast Forced Fees by Reducing Netflix to "VHS-Like Quality" (http://www.dailytech.com/Comcast+Forced+Fees+by+Reducing+Netflix+to+VHSLike +Quality/article36481.htm)
December 2013 and January 2014, however, congestion on routes into
Comcast's network reached a critical threshold and Comcast's and Netflix's mutual customers were significantly harmed. Comcast subscribers went from viewing Netflix content at 720p on average (i.e., HD quality) to viewing content at nearly VHS quality. For many subscribers, the bitrate was so poor that Netflix's streaming video service became unusable.

The degraded viewing quality for Comcast subscribers also resulted in a sharp increase in calls to Netflix customer support. Those calls made clear that Comcast was well aware of the degradation of Netflix traffic and was directing its subscribers to contact Netflix. The fact that the height of the congestion occurred in December and January is significant. December is one of Netflix's busiest times because members spend more time at home over the holidays and therefore request more streaming video from Netflix and other OVDs. It became clear that Comcast would continue to allow congestion across its network to negatively affect its subscribers' online video streaming experience.

Anybody who says that net neutrality is a good thing is being paid off by the ISPs. It really is that simple. Wasn't shocked to see a Chicago politician being paid off. Thanks Obama!

Anybody who says that net neutrality is a good thing is being paid off by the ISPs. It really is that simple. Wasn't shocked to see a Chicago politician being paid off. Thanks Obama!

The ISP's really do a great job playing both sides of the aisle. From what I can gather they go to Democrats when they want more barriers to entry and subsidies. After which they appeal to Republicans to get rid of pro consumer policies (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/30/1303099/-Republicans-in-Congress-helping-big-telecom-try-to-kill-net-neutrality) that will allow them to gouge customers and content providers. I've also seen articles suggest that outside of formal donations to political campaigns they also regularly hire friends and relatives of politicians they do business with.

I saw someone joke the other day that where as Google's motto is 'don't be evil' Comcast's seems to use 'what have you done evil today?'

Speaking of evil:
A lot of people don’t like the Comcast-Time Warner merger, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be approved - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/09/03/a-lot-of-people-dont-like-the-comcast-time-warner-merger-but-that-doesnt-mean-it-wont-be-approved/)
“I still suspect the merger will be approved. It doesn’t seem to trip any antitrust wires, and merger conditions would let the FCC push various Internet policies it cares about," Gallant said. "But I also think the companies’ national reach in broadband is making this a closer call than Comcast-NBCU was four years ago.”

Meanwhile Comcast top evangilist/Executive VP David Cohen is wondering why's everybody always pickin on Comcast.
Cohen Slams Critics of TWC Deal | Multichannel (http://www.multichannel.com/news/distribution/cohen-slams-critics-twc-deal/383361#sthash.Ql9a1ars.dpuf)
Comcast executive vice president David Cohen says some critics of his company's proposal to merge with Time Warner Cable are programmers who failed to negotiate better contracts in exchange for supporting the deal. He did not name names of those whose support was for sale.

"As in many prior transactions, various parties have attempted to use this review to advance agendas that have nothing to do with this transaction and to seek government support for parochial business interests that in many cases are seeking more money and distribution for themselves," he said in a lengthy blog posting Monday taking aim at the deal's critics, but also pointing out that it had a lot of fans as well.

And who are those fans....um mein fuher....Steiner (http://youtu.be/5m9lnNHHoRM)
Comcast donations help company secure support for Time Warner Cable merger | Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/08/comcast-donations-help-company-secure-support-of-time-warner-cable-merger/)

After all its not as if years of bad karma built on screwing over customers and paying off politicians isn't coming back to haunt them. No its content providers that are looking to screw Comcast.

In Net Neutrality news:
Sunlight: 99 percent of net neutrality comments wanted stronger FCC rules - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/09/02/sunlight-99-percent-of-net-neutrality-comments-wanted-stronger-fcc-rules/)
The Sunlight Foundation has just wrapped its weeks-long study of the more than 1 million initial comments filed to federal regulators on net neutrality. The top-line results are unsurprising, with less than 1 percent of 800,000 commenters calling for Internet providers to be regulated more lightly. That's consistent with a major push by consumer advocates to convince FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler to adopt stronger rules on ISPs.

So friendly reminder, if you are against said merger comment by clicking ZE LINK BELOW! NAO!!!
Comcast - Time Warner Cable, MB Docket 14-57 | FCC.gov (http://www.fcc.gov/transaction/comcast-twc)

http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/internet-slowdown-640x234.png
The Internet won't really slow down on Internet Slowdown Day - Tech Chronicles (http://blog.seattlepi.com/techchron/2014/09/03/the-internet-wont-really-slow-down-on-internet-slowdown-day/)
The latest online demonstration to support keeping the Internet a level playing field sounds more drastic than it is: A host of left-leaning groups are calling next Wednesday “Internet Slowdown Day” to protest proposed FCC rules that would no longer force Internet service providers to treat all online traffic equally. Tech companies — from Google to the smallest startup — oppose the change, and want to preserve what they call net neutrality.

But the internet won’t actually slow down on Wednesday, Sept. 10. At least not because of this protest. Sites participating in the protest will merely post the “spinning wheel of death” icon to mark the day and urge users to contact the FCC or Congress. As Free Press, one of the organizing groups stressed Wednesday: “Sites will employ icons that symbolize a slower Internet, but will not actually load more slowly.”
http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/battle-for-the-net-640x317.png

Most of the US has no broadband competition at 25Mbps, FCC chair says | Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/09/most-of-the-us-has-no-broadband-competition-at-25mbps-fcc-chair-says/)
About 80 percent of Americans homes could buy 25Mbps broadband, but generally from only one provider, he said. “At 25Mbps, there is simply no competitive choice for most Americans,” Wheeler said. “Stop and let that sink in... three-quarters of American homes have no competitive choice for the essential infrastructure for 21st century economics and democracy. Included in that is almost 20 percent who have no service at all! Things only get worse as you move to 50Mbps where 82 percent of consumers lack a choice.”

Unhappy Customer: Comcast Told My Employer About Complaint, Got Me Fired – Consumerist (http://consumerist.com/2014/10/06/unhappy-customer-comcast-told-my-employer-about-complaint-got-me-fired/)

Remember how we briefly mentioned above that Conal worked for a large, prestigious accounting firm? Comcast certainly noticed that fact, especially since that firm is one that does business with Comcast.

At some point shortly after that call, someone from Comcast contacted a partner at the firm to discuss Conal. This led to an ethics investigation and Conal’s subsequent dismissal from his job; a job where he says he’d only received positive feedback and reviews for his work.

Comcast maintained that Conal used the name of his employer in an attempt to get leverage. Conal insists that he never mentioned his employer by name, but believes that someone in the Comcast Controller’s office looked him up online and figured out where he worked.

could have gone in a number of areas:

Cable companies shrug off cord cutters by jacking up broadband prices (http://news.yahoo.com/cable-companies-shrug-off-cord-cutters-jacking-broadband-144703723.html)

After nonsensical comments on Net Neutrality, conservatives rage against Ted Cruz (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/13/1344716/-After-nonsensical-comments-on-Net-Neutrality-conservatives-rage-against-Ted-Cruz?showAll=yes%3Fdetail%3Dfacebook)

Everyone point and laugh at Ted Cruz

After nonsensical comments on Net Neutrality, conservatives rage against Ted Cruz (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/13/1344716/-After-nonsensical-comments-on-Net-Neutrality-conservatives-rage-against-Ted-Cruz?showAll=yes%3Fdetail%3Dfacebook)

Everyone point and laugh at Ted Cruz

An uninformed idiot. The time to disagree with the president just to disagree is over. We deserve a lot better from our government