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FCC contemplating do-over Comcast hearing at Stanford

The FCC is considering holding a fresh hearing on net neutrality, with Comcast and Verizon again in attendance — and this time it may be at Stanford. The do-over comes after a mini-scandal erupted over the first hearing, held at Harvard; Comcast flacks confessed they'd paid people off the street to act as seatwarmers. Let this be a lesson to you all: If you're going to meddle in politics, do it skillfully enough not to get caught.

The Harvard hearing, a rare outside-the-Beltway event, ended disastrously for all involved. The hearing had many more attendees than were expected, with the room running out of space well before the hearing began. As a result, dozens of members of the public and opposition groups were refused entry. Comcast's ruse was detected when some of its fresh hires fell asleep.

The FCC will take no official action against Comcast over the held seats, but relocating the hearing to Stanford is punishment enough. Net-neutrality crusader Larry Lessig teaches there, and the Valley's Comcast-hating engineers may actually be provoked enough by the seatwarming episode to pry themselves away from their keyboards. And best of all: Stanford would get to one-up Harvard by showing it knows how to run a meeting.

(Photo by AP/Stephan Savoia)

12:45 PM on Wed Feb 27 2008
By Jordan Golson
8,560 views
9 comments

Comments

woodenturkey at 01:30 PM on 02/27/08
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let me get my yellow highlighter ready
azntg at 02:43 PM on 02/27/08
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Count on Harvard to get their priorities wrong. Repeat after me: You don't stick a major public issue like net neutrality in a teeny conference room and a small student discussion group in a huge dining hall!

Stanford, please don't repeat Cambridge and get that one right!
wordsmithy at 02:45 PM on 02/27/08
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Harvard: The Stanford of the East Coast
yesteryear at 03:01 PM on 02/27/08
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please keep us posted on this so those of us in the area can attend. i promise to give a full report!
bravo369 at 06:19 PM on 02/27/08
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i think this is great news. It's better than if the FCC just shrugged their shoulders and moved forward. I hope comcast gets grilled by everyone in attendance.
BluntObjects at 06:35 PM on 02/27/08
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Every once in a while,I think there might be some people in the government who actually care.

Then my head rolls over,and I wake up.It's really embarrassing,because the fat chick at work who kinda stalks me is usually watching me.
Hans_Auff at 07:00 PM on 02/27/08
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Boy I bet FEMA is wired up over this. How does one exactly go about a Katrina do over?
funchords at 12:31 AM on 02/28/08
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MORE HEARINGS ARE NOT NEEDED BEFORE STOPPING COMCAST'S ABUSE

My name is Robb Topolski, and I am the Comcast customer identified in the Free Press (et. al.) petition to the FCC and my own personal statement is attached to the filing. Comcast's hacker-style network abuse is over a year old, and the FCC should act immediately to stop it.

The Petition asks for an immediate stop to the discriminatory Comcast interference, a rule preventing such practices on other US Internet Service Providers, and a monetary fine.

Clearly, the facts about this particular issue are all in. The FCC should act now to stop the interference immediately. Once the damage has been stopped, the FCC may hold additional hearings to address the issue of permanent Network Neutrality rules and the disposition of the remainder of this case.

Robb Topolski, robb(at)funchords.com
Dweezil at 05:16 AM on 02/28/08
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@wordsmithy:
I believe the accurate tag would either be Harvard: The Oxford of America, or Harvard: The less wordy University of Chicago of the East.