jonquil
November 30, 2010, 8:17pm
1
Folks, be afraid, be very afraid… seriously. If the FCC doesn’t take action this December, the internet and access to media as you know it will become both heavily censored, very expensive, and owned by Comcast. This is one ugly company. I haven’t actually had to deal with Comcast personally yet, but if that company ruins Netflix, I will be plenty po’d. ATT and Time-Warner are bad enough, but Comcast is even worse than them. Links here:
act2.freepress.net/sign/comcast_ … fbshare%2F
huffingtonpost.com/timothy-k … 89786.html
In the past 24 hours Comcast has been exposed committing blatant abuses of its power over all things media.
The New York Times reported last night that the cable giant has threatened to block popular online movie service Netflix unless the company that streams its films paid new and extortionate tolls. Earlier in the day, Comcast was caught red-handed trying to smother the marketplace for competitive Internet modems designed for use on its network – a violation of fundamental Net Neutrality principles that allow you to choose what devices you want to use.
These are just the latest in a history of abuse by a company determined to become the 21st century’s media gatekeeper. If Comcast gets away with these violations, it will be the beginning of the end of the experiment in information democracy called the Internet. What more reason does the Federal Communications Commission need to step up – for once – and protect the openness that is central to a better, more participatory and diverse media.
Taken as a whole, these abuses show us what a media monopoly looks like in the Internet age — one company, consolidating its media power to squash competitors, to stifle innovation and free speech, and to gouge consumers.
Here are seven reasons we must stop an out-of-control Comcast:
Killing Off Competition: NetFlix …
Stifling Innovation: Zoom Modems …
Consolidating Media Power: NBC Takeover …
Censoring Free Speech: Vinh Pham …
Lobbyists, Lawyers and Lies: Cohen’s Kumbaya …
Blocking Internet Access: BitTorrent …
Blocking Public Access: Harvard …