Comcast Blocking: First the Internet — Now the Public
February 25th, 2008 by jstearnsThere was huge turnout at today’s public hearing in Boston on the future of the Internet. Hundreds of concerned citizens arrived to speak out on the importance of an open Internet. Many took the day off from work — standing outside in the Boston cold — to see the FCC Commissioners. But when they reach the door, they’re told they couldn’t come in.
The size of the crowd is evidence that many Americans don’t want giant corporations like Comcast and Verzion to decide what we can do and where we can go on the Internet.
| Watch the video |
But will the FCC hear these voices? For many people who showed up on time for the hearing, apparently not.
Comcast — or someone who really, really likes Comcast — evidently bused in its own crowd. These seat-warmers, were paid to fill the room, a move that kept others from taking part.
[Update: Comcast admits to paying people to stack the room in their favor. Read the report.]
They arrived en masse some 90 minutes before the hearing began and occupied almost every available seat, upon which many promptly fell asleep (picture above).
 Comcast’s sleeper cell |
One told us that he was “just getting paid to hold someone’s seat.”
He added that he had no idea what the meeting was about.
If he was holding someone else’s seat, he never gave it up.
Many of this early crowd had mysteriously matching yellow highlighters stuck in their lapels.
 Comcast payoff |
We also photographed them outside the venue being handed papers by an organizer who had been seen earlier talking with several of the Comcast people at the hearing.
Here’s why this is a problem. Comcast clearly paid disinterested people to fill seats. This barred interested citizens from entering.
More than 100 people who arrived at the appointed time for the hearing were turned away by campus police because the room was already full.
 Barred: The interested public |
The Cambridge hearing is part of the FCC’s ongoing investigation into Comcast’s blocking of Internet traffic. But there’s much more at stake. We are at a critical juncture, where it will be decided whether we have a closed Internet controlled by a small handful of giant corporations, or an open Internet controlled by the people who use it.
Comcast wants the former — to dictate which Web sites and services go fast, slow or don’t load at all. And they’re backed by the other would-be gatekeepers at AT&T, Verizon and Time Warner.
Tell the FCC to stop Comcast from blocking Internet traffic and to permanently protect Net Neutrality: http://www.savetheinternet.com/comcast.php
The official deadline for comments is Feb. 28.
February 25th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
They packed the room! That explains the otherwise inexplicable explosion of applause after Comcast VP David Cohen’s initial comments.
February 25th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
[…] exactly how public was it? SaveTheInternet.com claims that “Comcast and Verizon reportedly packed the room with seat-fillers” in order to […]
February 26th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Did Comcast pay folks to attend the FCC hearings?…
This is how democracy looks like: The Save The Internet coalition is claiming that Comcast paid dozens of attendants of yesterday’s FCC hearings just to make sure that citizens critical of the company’s Bittorrent blocking couldn’t get in….
February 26th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
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February 26th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
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February 26th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
More coverage available at http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/top-5/2008/02/26/Comcast-FCC-Hearing-Strategy
February 26th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Comcast paid people to prevent protestors from getting into FCC hearing…
I’m not one of those politically active kind of people, but this really steams my ass!
Comcast apparently bused in a bunch of people for the FCC hearing concerning Comcast’s filtering of Bittorent traffic on Feb. 25. They got there a full …
February 26th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
[…] in Boston dealing with Comcast’s selective blocking of Internet traffic, seats filled up quick. But some were paid to be there: Comcast — or someone who really, really likes Comcast — evidently bused in its own crowd. […]
February 26th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
[…] So how does a guaranteed applaus line like “BitTrickle” from every net activist’s favorite rep get a smattering? Turns out, here’s why. […]
February 26th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
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February 26th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
[…] Classy. […]
February 26th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
[…] Save The Internet dot com asserts that […]
February 26th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
[…] it was too full. When no one agrees with you, all you can do is open your wallet. Unbelievable.read more | digg […]
February 26th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
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February 26th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
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February 26th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
This is insanity, this is proof of how low they are willing to resort to. I wouldn’t be surprised if they start paying cops to harass critics and protesters.
You should have told those seat-fillers what the meeting was about.
February 26th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
[…] love the photo! (courtesy of Free Press, which has its own report on the seat-blocking) Gripping stuff, that net neutrality […]
February 26th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Comcast going too far…
There was recently a public hearing in Cambridge, MA talking with the FCC about Comcast’s policy of blocking certain traffic on its network. This is quite upsetting to many since it seems almost like censorship. That is, does Comcast have the righ…
February 26th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
[…] of consumer advocates like the Consumers Union authors of Consumer Reports and the Free Press, is claiming that Comcast bussed in a large number of disinterested individuals to yesterday’s public FCC […]
February 26th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
[…] Pads the FCC Hearings ? Save the Internet Blog » Blog Archive » Comcast Blocking: First the Internet — Now the Public __________________ … f34r the sukbot ( | […]
February 27th, 2008 at 12:43 am
[…] read more | digg story […]
February 27th, 2008 at 1:29 am
[…] One of my friends is interning at one of the entities responsible for challenging Comcast’s recent deplorable traffic “shaping” policies (if you can call packet forging “shaping”), and told me that Comcast had blocked the recent hearing on their policies by attempting to take all the seats in the room. Save the Internet has more info. […]
February 27th, 2008 at 1:37 am
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February 27th, 2008 at 3:36 am
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February 27th, 2008 at 4:30 am
[…] The Progress Bar, Doc Searls Weblog, P2P Blog, Slashdot, Joho the Blog, Tech Beat, TechBlog, Save the Internet Blog and TorrentFreak and more via TechMeMe Technorati Tags: Blogs ,Comcast ,Internet ,Net Neutrality […]
February 27th, 2008 at 4:49 am
[…] by Phoenix Woman on February 27, 2008 Charming. Comcast paid a bunch of people to take up seating space at public hearing on the Internet in […]
February 27th, 2008 at 4:54 am
[…] Paid People to Pack FCC Hearings Comcast, the large cable operator, is reported to have paid people to crowd up an FCC hearing on Comcast’s interference with user tr… This is the idea: The government sets up public hearings to hear the views of those who are angry […]
February 27th, 2008 at 5:06 am
[…] it was too full. When no one agrees with you, all you can do is open your wallet. Unbelievable.read more | digg […]
February 27th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Comcast Blocking: First the Internet — Now the Public…
This story has been submitted to Stirrdup. Your support can help it become hot….
February 27th, 2008 at 10:26 am
[…] Comcast Paid people to cheer at Public FCC hearing There has been alot of buzz around Comcast and their practices, including the blocking of users ports, using Sandvine to disrupt torrenting, and more. The hearing in Boston was a public meeting in which the people were allowed to voice their opinions on saving the internet, frowning on corporate control over what we do over the internet-Comcast though, removed the public and voicing of opinions of the hearing by actually paid people to ’stack the room in their favor’. Check out the article here […]
February 27th, 2008 at 11:42 am
[…] I want to take a moment and step back from all the news about the Boston FCC hearing that has emerged over the past 24 hours. In cases such as these, the rhetoric can get pretty heated and accusations, […]
February 27th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Here’s a graphic if anyone wants to display something on their blog:
Image file is located at http://www.savetheinternet.com/graphics/comcast-hearing.jpg
February 27th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
[…] interest in the hearing itself by falling asleep shortly before the event began! One blogger from SaveTheInternet.com quoted one fellow having said he was, “just getting paid to hold someone’s seat.” […]
February 27th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
[…] Comcast Blocking: First the Internet — Now the Public (Save the Internet Blog) The Save The Internet coalition is claiming that Comcast paid dozens of attendants of yesterday’s FCC hearings just to make sure that citizens critical of the company’s Bittorrent blocking couldn’t get in…. (tags: comcast internet fcc) […]
February 27th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
[…] space. Unfortunately for Comcast, representatives of an organization called Save the Internet were also there, and had their cameras handy. They took pictures of a Comcast employee handing out papers to the […]
February 27th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
[…] it Comcast? Whoever it was, this tactic is disgusting. There was huge turnout at [the Feb 25] public hearing in Boston on the future of the Internet. […]
February 27th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
[…] story broke two days ago, but I think it is worth a quick mention.  Comcast, everyone’s favorite […]
February 27th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
[…] angel in these matters, Comcast, one of the biggest cable internet providers, is just descpicable: they admitted today to paying and busing in 100+ people to “hold places” for Comcast employees at an […]
February 28th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
You can file a easy automated comment on internet and other media spying issues with the FCC and congress at http://www.futureselector.org
February 28th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
[…] read more | digg story […]
February 28th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
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February 28th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
[…] Jstearns / Save the Internet Blog: Comcast Blocking: First the Internet — Now the Public […]
February 28th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
[…] Comcast wants so desperately to overturn net neutrality they paid people to fill up seats and sleep at an FCC hearing open to the public. And it worked. Concerned citizens were kept out. […]
February 28th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
[…] [via Save the Internet] […]
February 29th, 2008 at 3:46 am
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February 29th, 2008 at 11:39 am
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February 29th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
2-29-08 Technology Week in Review…
Comcast, what are you doing? You just lost pretty much any credibility you ever may have had, at least with the public. These dirty little tactics may work well in D.C., but taking them to a public open meeting on a college campus will win you no frien…
February 29th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
[…] • Photos of the chair-squatters sleeping […]
March 1st, 2008 at 12:48 pm
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March 1st, 2008 at 2:28 pm
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March 2nd, 2008 at 12:46 am
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March 2nd, 2008 at 9:07 am
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March 2nd, 2008 at 4:36 pm
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March 4th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Comcast PAID PEOPLE to cheer at FCC net neutrality hearing…
Think Comcast’s BitTorrent blocking is bad? At an FCC hearing at Harvard yesterday, Comcast secretly paid people to fill up seats and cheer for them. Too bad there’s a photo!! Even reporters got blocked out of the event because it was too full. When …
March 5th, 2008 at 12:51 am
[…] As the hearing began, paid attendees took a nap. […]
March 6th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
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March 16th, 2008 at 1:11 am
[…] about it here. So they changed their story…slightly. Recently in Boston there was a public hearing with FCC commissioners about the future of the internet. Hundreds of concerned citizens arrived to […]
March 24th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
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March 31st, 2008 at 11:02 pm
I’m a current Comcast customer who is moving and has the opportunity to support an ISP with good intentions, not evil. Could somebody please give a list of all companies affiliated with anti-net-neutrality so I can boycott them? Also, if anybody knows of a “good” ISP in the 98056 (Renton, WA) area, that’d be awesome!
Thanks!
April 14th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
[…] people to fill the room and keep the public out (read more about Comcast’s dirty tactics here). We need to stand up to the big phone and cable companies and fight for Internet freedom for all […]
April 16th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
[…] trusty that citizens grave of the company’s Bittorrent interference couldn’t intend in. From Savetheinternet.com: “Comcast — or someone who really, rattling likes Comcast — apparently bused in its […]
June 20th, 2008 at 8:06 am
[…] “sleeper cell”, most of whom had no interest in the hearing anyway — riveting testimony — to the point of boredom, and eventually […]
July 11th, 2008 at 6:40 am
[…] stand to shave off a couple billions anyway. Some of them have enough money pay random people to stack FCC hearings — so they can encourage the FCC to allow schemes that will make them even more money, and allow […]