Comcast Doesn't Give A Fuck

[dlevere]

Stop the Comcast takeover.

It's almost this bad. Already.

Watch this video. If this is how you feel about Comcast right now, just remember one thing: after the Time Warner Cable takeover, it will only get worse.

[final kaoss]

Then I suggest you join up with fftf. They have active campaigns to stop this sort of thing.


Thu, 02 Oct 2014
Stop Comcast's plan to dominate the Internet


Dear Fight for the Future member,
Urgent: there are just a few days left to stop Comcast from taking over Time Warner Cable and controlling most of the Internet. Click here to take action now.
This one really requires no explanation. The most hated company in the US is trying to take over the second most hated company in the US, in a move that would raise our cable and Internet bills, stifle online free speech, and make them one of the most powerful lobbies in history. [1]
This merger is bad for EVERYONE, and there is tons of opposition, even from within the FCC. We have a real chance at stopping this but we have to act quickly. [2]
The deadline is next week! Click here to stop Comcast in its tracks.
Comcast is already the largest and most powerful opponent of net neutrality, online privacy, and Internet freedom. They’ve been caught several times abusing their “gatekeeper” power as an Internet provider to further their own interests. [3] If the FCC lets Comcast forcibly absorb Time Warner Cable — the second largest Internet provider in the U.S. — they will control access to information in nearly 6 of 10 people’s homes (more if you’re only counting truly high speed Internet). [4]
Millions of you have sent comments to the FCC in support of net neutrality. We’re asking for your help again because if this merger goes through, Comcast gets even more powerful — in the marketplace, online, and in Washington, DC. If we don’t stop this takeover right now, we’ll be fighting an uphill battle on net neutrality and online free speech for years to come.
Will you sign? Click here to submit a comment opposing the Comcast merger.

After you sign, please forward this email to everyone you know and share the petition on social media.

Here’s the link one last time: https://battleforthenet.com/comcast
Thanks for all that you do,
-Tiffiniy Cheng
Fight for the Future
SOURCES:

1. Brad Reed. “Massive survey finds Comcast and TWC are the two most hated companies in America – period”. BGR. http://bgr.com/2014/05/20/comcast-tw...-survey-study/
   
2. Brendan Sasso. “FCC Chief: Cable Companies Are Wrong About Internet Competition”. National Journal.http://www.nationaljournal.com/tech/...ition-20140904
   
3. Cecilia Kang. “Comcast, Time Warner Cable merger faces a grilling in Washington this week”. Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ton-this-week/
   
4. S. Derek Turner and Matt Wood. “Petition to deny free press”. Free Press.http://www.freepress.net/sites/defau...Deny_Final.pdf

[dlevere]

Beating Comcast and Cable Fees with the HD HomeRun Prime - Windows Media Center, and Xbox 360

By Lon Seidman

I woke up the other day to find that all of the cable channels previously viewable on my television were now scrambled and encrypted. To solve the problem and view the channels I was paying for would cost at least an additional $20-30 a month!

Enter the HD Homerun Prime - it's a little box that works with a CableCARD and provides a roll-your-own solution without the need for cable boxes. I am using it with the Windows Media Center software to push cable channels to Xbox 360's running the Media Center extender app.

It works fairly well but I still have some issues to resolve. It's certainly not as easy as just turning on a television any longer.

DISCLOSURE: I purchased this unit with my own funds.

Buy it on Amazon - http://goo.gl/gbnyJg (affiliate link).
See my update video here: http://youtu.be/qdczfpuncP4

[dlevere]

FCC suspends review of Comcast/TWC and AT&T/DirecTV mergers

Content companies refused to grant access to confidential programming contracts.

By Jon Brodkin

FCC suspends review of Comcast/TWC and AT&T/DirecTV mergers

Content companies refused to grant access to confidential programming contracts.

The Federal Communications Commission today paused the "180-day informal time clock" in its review of the proposed Comcast/Time Warner Cable and AT&T/DirecTV mergers.

The extension comes in response to a request by Dish Network; Comptel; Monumental Sports and Entertainment; RCN; Grande Communications, Inc.; Choice Cable TV of Puerto Rico; and Writers Guild of America, West.

These organizations filed their request for an extension after content companies refused to allow access to confidential carriage agreements, despite the FCC issuing a joint protective order requiring limited disclosure.

The content companies that objected to providing confidential information included CBS, Scripps, Disney, Time Warner, Twenty First Century Fox, Univision, Viacom, Discovery, and TV One.

Today's FCC order states:

Among other points, [the companies] argue that certain third-party programmers “do not want any of the interested parties’ outside counsel or experts to view [their programming contracts],” and have “set out to nullify” the Modified Joint Protective Order by filing multiple objections to requests for access. These commenters argue that the programming information is of particular importance in evaluating the applications at issue, and that “these issues cannot be joined, and that analysis cannot be conducted, without reasonable access by both the FCC and outside counsel and experts not involved in competitive decision-making.”

We agree with these commenters that their current inability to review Highly Confidential Information that has been submitted in these dockets significantly hampers their ability to meaningfully comment and participate in these proceedings, in both Docket 14-57 [Comcast/Time Warner Cable] and Docket 14-90 [AT&T/DirecTV]. Accordingly, we are suspending the pleading cycles and stopping our 180-day informal time clock in both dockets. After we rule on the objections, we will issue a Public Notice setting forth new pleading cycles that will provide sufficient time for commenters to review the relevant materials and prepare their comments.

Comcast issued a statement in response, saying that it is still confident that it will be able to buy TWC. "It is routine for the FCC to pause the review of significant transactions as it works to create a full record," Comcast said. "The Commission is working to hear the concerns of various parties. In the meantime, review of information and evidence already in the docket will continue. We are confident that the Commission will quickly resolve these issues while continuing its work so that review will be completed in early 2015."