They Took Your Seat

On Monday this week, at Harvard, the FCC held a meeting on Comcast and Net Neutrality, a chance for the public to air its views over the issues.

Turns out a not so funny little thing happened on the way to the forum: Comcast tried to pack the meeting, going so far as paying people to come in and take up the spaces that could have been filled by concerned members of the public.

How big are the stakes in the so-called network neutrality debate now raging before Congress and federal regulators?

Consider this: One side in the debate actually went to the trouble of hiring people off the street to pack a Federal Communications Commission meeting yesterday--and effectively keep some of its opponents out of the room.

Broadband giant Comcast--the subject of the F.C.C. hearing on network neutrality at the Harvard Law School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts--acknowledged that it did exactly that.

Trying to lock out the public is a great example of why we need net neutrality. If the other side will use their money to restrict public access to a public meeting, how can we feel confident they won't use their power to restrict voices in the virtual world?

And the company's response to the revelation doesn't exactly assuage that worry:

A number of people in the audience wore yellow highlighter marking pens on their shirts or jackets; Karr said that was to identify them to Comcast employees coordinating the company's appearance at the event. Khoury acknowledged that Comcast coordinated the employees that it brought to the hearing.

"For the past week, Free Press has engaged in a much more extensive campaign to lobby people to attend the hearing on its behalf," Khoury said.

The official response from this industry giant is to say that paying people to pack a hearing is simply a tit-for-tat response to the efforts of a grassroots organization of activists trying to make their voices heard. This is an outlook where money can overwhelm public participation, and where speech is a commodity not a sacred right of democracy.

The commercial success of the Internet, the entrepreneurship it has unleashed, has been because of its free and open architecture. The explosion of innovation that created boosted our national productivity and added untold billions to our national economy. To try to restrict the Internet would hamper the innovation still to come.

But even more important is the potential of the freedom on the Internet to transform our civic conversation - an effort we're watching right before our eyes. It's not a coincidence that my.barackobama.com has been the vehicle for millions to organize around the campaign of a firm supporter of net neutrality and the benefits of free and open information exchange. Freedom on the Internet is a core value for progressives, and it holds the potential for enormous advances in empowering citizens to take control of the political destiny of our country. Efforts like this by Comcast simply put in stark relief the importance of the fight for those values.

I'll be watching closely the future actions of these large companies around these hearings, and I'll continue to fight for more broadband access to an open, information-neutral Internet.

Comments

[roneckley16823]

Comcast is an interesting company. In our area, they have just blocked the Turner Classic Movie Channel, that is viewed by many Seniors on fixed incomes, unless you purchase a box for viewing. The month before they also raised the fee's. I guess this is the new American way, give little and charge more. Bush is probably giving them quite a break in big business tax's? Can't wait until Obama is President. We definitely need a fighter for the people. We need competition in large numbers.

[milo9]

Dear Senator Kerry,

You're in a far better position to do something about it from your bully pulpit than in the blogosphere.

[sanglug]

I think it makes sense for him to raise this issue here of all places. If somebody reads this and feels inspired to fight back, that is progress. And who should care more than people engaged in the free exchange of ideas?

[castlerider]

THIS FONT SIZE AND COLOR IS NOT COMFORTABLE AT ALL... PLEASE CHANGE IT.

You knew you would get complaints, but this is more then that. This is a plea.
Please just give us back at least black lettering so those of us who have a hard time focusing ( I have a damaged retina-and believe me, it sucks when you love to read as much as me.) can see better.

[JosephP]

I would like to second that plea. I also find the new font and color intolerable. And I do not even have a damaged retina.

[karrezza]

Remember they always gotta change to look modern, but yes the shade darker than Crest toothpaste is a tad annoying. I think the font is fine, and its black for me too. But I can see it being small for those with eye issues. And it seems you cannot use IE text size to improve it, you will have to overrride it with your own cascading style sheet, but how many know how to do that? I only do cuz I tested IE at microsoft

[AndriaSmith]

Dear Mr. Kerry,

It was always a pleasure to hear you speak, and it is now a pleasure to read your writings. You are such an elegant man. You ran a perfect race against George Bush. I admired your strength of character. His destiny was hard to beat.

I must say I agree with everything you say in regards to protecting the neutrality of the internet. Comcast isn't God, and they have a lot of nerve to try and play God. The internet is so vast and truly a "Web" these days - it seems unless the government regulates it - no major company has a right to play government either. I would like to add however there is a significant amount of abuse on the internet. This is a very serious obstruction of human rights. Although there is the right of freedom of speech, some people go to extremes and abuse that right with vicous attacks on people they don't even know. Mostly because they clash with opinions. There's internet jealousy, revenge and hate. Perhaps a meeting on human rights and rules for civil behavior is appropriate. These days anyone can look up anything and pretty much say anything. In someways that is a blessing, and to others perhaps a curse. It really is not neutrality as much as common sense rules needed here in my opinion.

Thank you for your post. Let us know what happens. I am sure we will all be waiting with anticipation the outcome from these meetings.

[bison1]

Your comments were well stated. I, too, thank Senator Kerry for his comments. This is a very important issue.

[ImmanuelKant]

Courage John Kerry. The very incident you speak of is why I supported John Edwards, your running mate in 2004. I can only hope that Obama or Clinton, once elected will stop the fictitious entities (they are called corporations) form holding sway and rule on behalf of the people. I believe it was Andrew Jackson that first noted the peril the “corporation” posed to the liberty of the people.

[YellowPanties]

A "perfect race" against Bush? Hardly! Kerry lost, if you recall, and he went down singing the praises of war and failed to correct the Swift Boat Chickens, and offered nothing more than "we can do better."

Kerry is right about net neutrality, but that hardly excuses the fact that he bungled the 2004 election and we are all paying for it.

[secondedition]

Senator Kerry I appreciate you letting me know about this underhanded trick from Comcast. We need to pull the seat out from under them. Even though many of us can't be there in person to represent our position on Net Neutrality it is still important that we be heard and to continue to grown a strong and independent internet for the people free from corporate influence. I am happy to know that Senator Obama shares our feelings on this matter. And, thank you for you efforts on our behalf.

[isis]

Thank you for helping net neutrality get some traction.

[AmandaRuth]

Senator Kerry, there is a matter down in Alabama that I would be interested in hearing your opinion on, and I would like to add my voice to thousands of others that are asking for Gov Siegelman to be released until appeal. Thank you.

[SharonWantsToTalk]

YOU GO JOHN! Thank you ! And please understand how much myself and my like minded friends appreciate your steadfastness on this issue.

[JudgeMoonbox]

If I had heard about this in advance, I would have told people to follow the example of Jaime Cardinal Sin of the Phillipines back in the 1980s. When Filopino President Ferdinand Marcos offered bribes to people to vote for him, Cardinal Sin said he'd absolve voters who took the money and voted their conscience.

In that spirit, I would have told people who could attend the hearings to take Comcast's money and speak their truth.

[NoFactsJustTruth]

People that accept BRIBES from industry rarely understand TRUTH,, they've rationalized their existence.

[BrooklynLager]

Thanks for the post.

Look, Comcast and other corporations are using the advantage that they have: money. They're experts at it.

This is an issue that I care about, and yet I always seem to find out about these meetings after the fact. The story that was told above is a case in point - an interested person came and saved a seat for his friend, while Comcast employees were reserving the entire room.

The idea that concentrated wealth can fill up a venue more easily that large groups of concerned citizens is a testament to the organizing work people who care about this issue need to do.

[Luftmensch]

Actually, the organizing for this was great! I got several emails from SavetheInternet, which I'd signed up with. What really stood in the way was that this meeting was scheduled by the FCC during work hours on a Monday (11-5!) I know many people (including myself) who truly wanted to be there but couldn't leave their jobs. There's no reason the FCC couldn't have scheduled a more accessible time; they clearly wanted to limit attendance. I was happy to hear that, despite the exclusionary timing, so many tried to be there, but appalled to find out about Comcast's ridiculously overbearing and anti-democratic tactics.

Thank you, Senator Kerry, for this excellent summation of the issues involved. I appreciate your taking the time to speak out and let the public know what is going on -- the corporations and the Bush-packed FCC are trying to steal democracy's very foundation -- free and equal access to communication and interchange.

Your leadership on this issue has been a great boon and inspiration. Thank you for having our backs. The American people (and Massachusetts!) are so lucky to have you looking out for our interests!

[harveyr2]

Comcast owns their wires so they should be able to do with them what they want. If you don't like Comcast's operational strategy then change to ISPs who use DSL, WiMAX, or other high speed networking technologies.

[turntotheleftnottheright]

That's the problem. Nobody should any technology period. The government should own them, and provide licenses to companies to run it, for limited times. Why the government sells the rights for airwaves or communication channels is beyond me.

[mcthorogood]

Certainly you jest! No problemo, the oligarchy would still maintain control by buying our elected representatives.

Control is rooted in the concept of corporate personhood and perpetual corporate charters. Since the emancipation of slaves, corporations have been declared legal persons with all the rights of immortal human beings. As a result wealth continues to accumulate and concentrate in corporations ad infinitum.

Welcome to the Corptocracy of the United States of America.

[JudgeMoonbox]

This is like saying that racial discrimination shouldn't be outlawed because the racists own their businesses. Telecommunications is a Public Accommodation. The anarcho-Capitalist idea that owners should be free to engage in all manner of antisocial activity was rejected when Congress passed the Civil Rights laws.

[PAFirefighter]

Harvey, the deep-thinker posted:
"Comcast owns their wires so they should be able to do with them what they want."

So, they should be able to LEGALLY deny or slow their internet service to blacks, jews, libertarians, and people whose politics they don't like? Did they teach you this at the school for special children?

PA Firefighter

[paixa3]

Mr. Kerry, your headline and sub text is very appropriate. THANK YOU.

EVERYONE is attempting to cut off our freedoms and communications.

[lovethesinner]

How ridiculous! Comcast employees are not equivalent representatives of the other side of the net nutrality argument, they're PAID employees. No one is paying the people from the Free Press, or Obama campaign to organize this group of concerned citizens.

This is the result of that insane law that caused Wal-Mart to invade America. The one that gives a corporation the "rights of an individual" in legal terms. It's INSANE.

Thanks for continuing to speak out on this issue, John. I'm still feeling proud of my vote for you in '04, and you're proving why I'm right to do so.

[research]

If corporations have the rights of individuals,

shouldn't they be committed for sociopathic behavior?

[GetAGrip]

The way to get around this is to start holding the hearings on the internet.

That way everyone can get involved, and if ComCast wants to pay people to "troll" these hearings then it'll become rapidly obvious and counter-productive.

Information is the water, and the internet the pipes, so why not use it?

[research]

Great idea!

[whistlindiksee]

Both video and audio are available on the FCC website www.fcc.gov
Scroll down to
2/25/08
FCC En Banc Hearing on Broadband Network Management Practices, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

There is also a place to submit a comment to the FCC if you so choose. http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/

[mcthorogood]

I heard of one government representative in Australia that pledged to enable his constituency to vote electronically on all issues of major importance.

Technology is available through public key encryption and certificates to eliminate spoofing by the electorate. What we need are more geeks interested in restoring a constitutional republic in which our representatives are democratically elected.

[whistlindiksee]

Last June, the FCC held a hearing in Portland, ME on Localism. The room was seeded with employees and managers of "local" broadcasters (all there to cheer on cue) and representatives of charitable organizations, there to profess admiration and thanks that their public service announcements were run. It was obvious to those of us who were there to promote true localism and protest media consolidation, that the room was packed for the contrast.
I was at the hearing at Harvard the other day. Knowing it was a small room (relative to the school auditorium in Portland), my friend arrived early and saved me a seat. By the time I arrived, the room was overflowing and many people had been turned away. It was in reaction to the remarks by the Comcast representative, when a cheer went up from a not disbursed, but rather a compact section of the room, that it became obvious to my friend and me the room was seeded on Comcast's behalf. The second clue, also a sound emanating from that section of the room, was the persistent sound of snoring.

[rougegorge]

Senator Kerry,
Thanks for your blog post calling attention to this urgently important issue! I, too, attended the FCC Hearing in Maine. Those of us (citizens) waiting to testify, had to last through the hours and hours of industry insiders filling up most of the available time. We were not able to get up to the microphones until after 10:30 at night! And then there was a very short 3 minutes allotted. We were also at a distinct disadvantage competing with the professional booming voices preceding us. For more about our trip to the Portland hearing see the dailykos diary here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/15/173955/519

I was unfortunately unable to be at the Hearing in Cambridge. (BTW, There should also be much more required notice time given before a hearing as important as this one!) It is clear that the FCC is just going through the motions of upholding their duty of informing the public and getting input, and I would not be surprised if Kevin Martin railroads through his (right wing) agenda again, regardless of any public outcry.

The media is meant to be the Fourth Estate, to strengthen our Democracy. Our media has been bought and sold. Media consolidation into the hands of just a few large corporations has destroyed the public's access to information and diversity of opinion.

We must not let the corporations continue to carve up the internet in the same way. Free and open information and communication from the internet is the only thing keeping us from total manipulation of information. There cannot be a Democracy without freedom of information!

The other thing that we MUST do as progressives is invest in our OWN infrastructure and support already existing progressive media! I do not understand why the Democrats in Congress, for the most part, do not see this (as they have been the targets of so much right wing propaganda)! Right wing media is driving and distorting the agenda in the media and framing all the issues. For the short term at least, the only way to counteract this would be to establish more progressively controlled media outlets. This requires a long term investment! Even if we (hopefully) end up with a Democratic executive along with a Democratic Congress, we still need progressive media to support progressive policies and issues or it will all be undone by the next election!

I hope you will continue to be a strong voice on these issues and will convince others in Congress of their importance!