September, 19 2008, 12:15pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Jen Howard, Free Press, (202) 265-1490, x22 or (703) 517-6273
Time's Up: Comcast Must Come Clean About Internet Blocking
WASHINGTON
Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, must disclose to the
Federal Communications Commission the full details of its past and
future "network management" practices by midnight tonight. This
disclosure is required as part of the FCC's enforcement order
sanctioning the cable giant for blocking Internet users' access to
lawful online content and services.
Last month, the FCC found Comcast guilty of violating users' online
rights after a months-long investigation into a complaint from Free
Press and Public Knowledge. Comcast was ordered to fully disclose every
detail of its "unreasonable network management" practices to the
federal agency within 30 days, stop the blocking by the end of the
year, and publicly specify plans for managing its network without
discrimination.
Ben Scott, policy director of Free Press, issued the following statement:
"We hope that with today's filing, Comcast will finally lift the
heavy veil of secrecy that shrouds its illegal blocking. After more
than a year of deception and evasion, Comcast has left its millions of
subscribers with many questions unanswered.
"Full disclosure to the FCC and the public should be Comcast's top
priority. If any cable or phone company cannot provide the high-speed
network it advertises, subscribers deserve to know the limits of the
service they are buying.
"Should Comcast decide to go AWOL and not file, Internet users can
trust that the FCC will be an effective cop on the beat. The FCC has
made it clear that it will not tolerate anything less than Comcast's
full cooperation to ensure that secret, illegal blocking doesn't happen
again."
Read the FCC's enforcement order: https://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-183A1.pdf
Free Press was created to give people a voice in the crucial decisions that shape our media. We believe that positive social change, racial justice and meaningful engagement in public life require equitable access to technology, diverse and independent ownership of media platforms, and journalism that holds leaders accountable and tells people what's actually happening in their communities.
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