Comcast – time for a change

Our position on the value and utility of the Internet to the American economy is basic – this electronic, digital delivery mechanism will continue to change the way commerce, education, health care and societal interactions are conducted.  It is as important to our developing world as electricity and telephone.  The basic delivery, meaning the availability, must be efficient, reliable, low cost and high quality.

Comcast is opposed to efficient, low cost, high quality Internet availability and delivery.  Yes, we know, their propaganda says otherwise.  Words are cheap as we all know from listening to our politicians and bureaucrats.  Words can be manipulated now, routinely, to bear no relevance to fact and reality.

The reality of Comcast is that people who need to use the company’s services and offering hate the experience – the cost; the inconvenience; the horrible customer service experience but, mostly, it is just too darn expensive for most of us.  And, of course, no one wants to be forced to buy something they don’t want; don’t use; and never will.  Comcast jams down our throats “packages” of crap programming and acts as if it is some form of public service.

In our opinion, Comcast is now the best example we have of a government authorized organized crime syndicate run by one American family – the Roberts family.

Here are the comments coming from the recent quarterly report of Netflix, Inc. regarding their experience with Comcast as well as its recent announced plans to acquire the number two Internet/entertainment company – Time Warner Cable.

“The Internet faces a long term threat from the largest ISPs driving up profits for themselves and costs for everyone else as detailed in our recent blog post. 

If the Comcast and Time Warner Cable merger is approved, the combined company’s footprint will pass

over 60 percent of U.S. broadband households, after the proposed divestiture, with most of those

homes having Comcast as the only option for truly high-speed broadband (>10Mbps). As DSL fades in

favor of cable Internet, Comcast could control high-speed broadband to the majority of American homes. Comcast is already dominant enough to be able to capture unprecedented fees from transit

providers and services such as Netflix. The combined company would possess even more anticompetitive leverage to charge arbitrary interconnection tolls for access to their customers. For this

reason, Netflix opposes this merger.”

Source:  http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/NFLX/3110810897x0x745654/fb5aaae0-b991-4e76-863c-3b859c8dece8/Q114%20Earnings%20Letter%204.21.14%20final.pdf

The position of TheFundamentals is stated above – the Internet pipeline into American homes and businesses is a utility that must be regulated to meet the above criteria - efficient, reliable, low cost and high quality.  Comcast does not meet these criteria so it is time for a change.  Permitting Comcast to expand its coverage would be an obvious step away from low cost, high quality broadband access.  The best way to communicate this position is an email to your congressman, senators and the FCC which will decide on the merger.  To do this go to:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

http://www.house.gov/representatives/

http://www.fcc.gov/contact-us (if you only have time to send one email, please go here)

How much money and control does the Roberts family need?  They have more than enough right now.  Does our government represent our interests or the interests of the Roberts family?  So far, the Roberts family is way ahead in that arena.  So, we say to our representatives; our senators and our regulators at the FCC – you represent us, not this one family.  Do your job now; stop this merger; break up Comcast (let them offer all the crap programming that the market will bear) and let’s get everyone low cost, efficient, reliable and high quality broadband Internet access.