Comcast gives a helping hand to the homeless

["Richard M. Smith" <rms () computerbytesman com>]

Organizer Disputes Comcast Over Hearing


By MARK JEWELL - 2 hours ago

 <http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5huAOgy6g1S5wW-7ft0FRuIypdzLQD8V2PV6O1>
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5huAOgy6g1S5wW-7ft0FRuIypdzLQD8V2PV6O1

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) - The organizer of a federal hearing at Harvard Law
School on Comcast Corp.'s treatment of subscriber Internet traffic on
Wednesday said "seat-warmers" apparently hired by the company prevented
other attendees from getting in.

Comcast has acknowledged that it hired an unspecified number of people to
fill seats, but said the seat-warmers gave up their spots when Boston area
Comcast employees who were advised about the hearing arrived.

But Catherine Bracy, the administrative manager at Harvard's Berkman Center
for Internet and Society, said most of the three dozen seat-warmers who
arrived hours before the Federal Communications Commission hearing's start
on Monday remained during the event's opening hours, as many other members
of the public were turned away.

Bracy said she saw a couple of the hired people dozing in the front row
during opening remarks.

"I think it's disingenuous to say they were holding spots for Comcast
employees," Bracy told The Associated Press, a day after advocacy groups
that filed an FCC complaint over Comcast's network management accused the
firm of trying to stifle debate at the hearing.

Bracy said when she arrived at 7:15 a.m. as doors opened for the 11 a.m.
hearing, none of the 35 to 40 people waiting to get in appeared to know what
the hearing's subject matter would be.

"No employees came in to take those seats when the event started," Bracy
said.

Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice said it hired seat-holders only after
an advocacy group called Free Press urged its backers to attend.

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

Fitzmaurice declined to comment further Wednesday in response to Bracy's
statements.

 

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