Let me start by saying I’ve actually had pretty good luck with Comcast. I have the “limited basic” service of cable TV at my house, which means I don’t get the whole universe of channels that most people do, but I also only pay about $13 a month. As I don’t have much free time for watching TV, it works for me. I also like that Comcast’s customer service line is open just about any time of day or night to answer questions. That’s something I wish Verizon would emulate.
That said, it’s not been a good week in the news for Comcast. First, the company announced a 4-percent rate hike for its local customers. This is the second rate “adjustment” for the cable company since the beginning of the year.
Then, one of the most popular stories off The Washington Post Web site this week was the tale of a 75-year-old Maryland woman who was driven to the brink of insanity by her local Comcast office. Like the Post story says, you don’t want to condone this behavior, but we all can relate. Here’s another version of the story.
This morning, The Associated Press reported it’s confirmed that Comcast is blocking attempts by its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online. The company, in a statement this morning, denied that, but AP tested it out and found otherwise.
This last story gives fodder to the backers of net neutrality, a concept that Congress has wrestled with this year. Basically, proponents of net neutrality argue that Internet service providers should be required by law to treat all Internet traffic from its paying customers equally. Some big ISPs have argued they should be allowed to show preference for big Internet users who pay more. Interestingly, some of the big online companies, including Google, have expressed strong support for the consumers’ view of net neutrality.
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