var json_comments = new Array("

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February 5, 2010 2:20 PM

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Al Franken's penchant for managing to pull routines like this is something that any reader of the books he did between his stint at NBC and his stint in the US Senate could follow.

The fact that he did it to the face this time qualifies this as far funnier and more awesome than the times he's done it to Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly.

Yes, I'm politically aligned with him, but you gotta admit, someone cutting into the bullshit like this is pretty win regardless of political alignment. (I'd mark Al as \"Liberal Awesome\", on the \"Liberal-Neutral-Conservative\" and \"Fabulous-Ignorable-Awesome\" alignment system.)

4 replies

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February 5, 2010 5:33 PM

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I agree. I'm pretty conservative, and Franken definitely ranks as \"awesome\" in my book. He completely cuts through the junk that people have criticized for years, and he's witty & fast enough to not trip over himself doing it.

I also love your alignment descriptions :P

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February 5, 2010 5:33 PM

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I agree. I'm pretty conservative, and Franken definitely ranks as \"awesome\" in my book. He completely cuts through the junk that people have criticized for years, and he's witty & fast enough to not trip over himself doing it.

I also love your alignment descriptions :P

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February 5, 2010 5:34 PM

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Crap, sorry for the doubles. Chrome wigged out :(

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February 7, 2010 8:35 AM

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No actually Consumerist servers in this new and \"improved\" format wiggled out. Even on broadband, which I have at home and work, it takes at minimum 20 seconds to post, and not infrequently more than a minute. How their staff thinks this is okay is beyond me when the previous iteration would take on average 5 seconds or less.

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Preyfar

February 5, 2010 2:37 PM

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I love the fact he goes \"Well, I wanted to ask what you felt what conditions you thought we could put on...\" to Mr. Zucker, and just rubs it in his face that guy dodged the question and wasted everybody's time.

I love how he also said \"We have just ordered 20 pilots...\" and then it magically goes down to 18. It makes it look like he doesn't even know what's going on.

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February 5, 2010 2:22 PM

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I have to say, as a senator, Franken's got a lot more balls and makes a lot more sense then anyone gives him credit for.

5 replies

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February 7, 2010 8:38 AM

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Yes, he and Alan Grayson are total examples of what we SHOULD have in Congress, and that is people who REFUSE to play the corporate and political games and aren't thinking solely about re-election 24-7 starting 1 month before the first election.

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February 6, 2010 10:36 AM

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this is what our senators are supposed to be like. unfortunately, i don't think it's going to matter much. there's a lot of money behind this acquisition.

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bunnymen

February 5, 2010 4:35 PM

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I certainly don't regret voting for him!

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d0x360

February 5, 2010 2:56 PM

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Agreed

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mcgs999

February 5, 2010 2:33 PM

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Amen - love em or hate em Franken has some great big brass ones between his legs.

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HoJu

February 5, 2010 2:28 PM

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Can somebody please explain to me what the second half of that video was all about?

2 replies

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TCama

February 5, 2010 7:18 PM

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Here's what it sounds like to me.

Part of the debate in over the merger is about NBC Universal/Comcast monopolizing multiple industries. NBC has a history of overwhelmingly airing shows it either owns or has a financial interest in, because success of those shows means success for them. This comes at the cost of competing or independent production companies' shows, and, ultimately, it means worse programming for the customer.

This relates to the first half of the video because the communications Franken had with Roberts were about this very issue: guaranteeing that cable customers will see more than just NBC Universal/Comcast shows.

Zucker basically argues that all-in-all, NBC shows a lot of programming from competing/independent production companies. For example, 40% of the pilots for the upcoming season are shows in which NBC has no financial interest at all. Of course, that means 60% are shows in which NBC has financial interest.

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Trai_Dep

February 6, 2010 1:23 PM

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Add to that was that Zucker (and NBC) was forced to scramble to fill the gaping maw of a programming hole in their 10-11pm M-F schedule because of their previous attempt to have the NBC-owned Leno Show take over their primetime schedule. Even though they had to madly scramble to fill this hole in several months, they were able to ensure that 60% of their programming they owned lock, stock & barrel.
Imagine the rate if they had more time - or less of a hole to fill - as they will from here on out.
So Zucker's claim that this season, 40% is both a victory for independent producers and is typical of what NBC (or Comcast/NBC) will strive for going forward is about as reliable as Conan O'Brian's Tonight Show contract.

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Nick1693

February 5, 2010 2:28 PM

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Can we just let this merger happen already?

Comcast's not all that evil.

/doesn't work for them
//1+ year highly satisfied customer
///except the Xfinity name, that's just weird

9 replies

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February 8, 2010 1:28 PM

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If you want a preview of what a content distributor-owned network will do to the competitive landscape why don't you go look at the current DirecTV and Comcast-owned Versus squabble. Comcast will hold DirecTV, DIsh, and any other competing provider hostage with its NBC properties if given the opportunity.

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mythago

February 5, 2010 8:13 PM

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\"I got mine, Jack, what's your beef?\" is maybe not the least persuasive argument ever, but it's close.

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dangerp

February 5, 2010 3:03 PM

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In and of itself, the service they provide is fine, even great (except for the random outages I've been having for the past week). However, the issue with comcast is:

a) They monopolize heavily wherever and however possible
b) They have historically had horrible horrible customer service (I hear a twitter guy is turning that around, or not. Who knows)
c) Just google comcast throttling
d) They got second place in the \"Worst Company in America\" competition for two years running. That says something, right?

http://consumerist.com/2008/07/worst-company-in-america-final-death-match-comcast-vs-countrywide-home-loans.html
http://consumerist.com/2009/05/worst-company-in-america-championship-aig-vs-comcast.html

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kern2000

February 5, 2010 2:39 PM

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Isn't that the kind of attitude we had towards the financial institutions until, you know, they brought the world economy to its knees?

The fact that you think whatever or whoever is not bad just because you had no problems with them shows a lot about the ignorance of the typical consumer.

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February 7, 2010 8:49 AM

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BINGO! The \"if the bad thing doesn't happen to ME then it didn't happen at all\" mentality, and the subsequent attacking other consumers who are subsequently ASSumed to be liars and opportunists REALLY disgusts me. And most telling and revolting of all, it seems to be in high quantity on HELLO a pro-consumer website.

Causes? Fox News is undoubtedly one, the inescapable all-pervasive 24-7 advertising environment is another. The complete absence of consumer voices and editorials saying their side in mainstream media is the third. A fourth is bad economy survival busyness that keeps us from spending quality time interacting with a lot of other consumers in significant ways having real discussions that would add other people's real world happenings to our world views, and finally, never underestimate the power of denial....

Well, that's okay. Us real voice-in-the wilderness consumers with a brain and a spine aligned with the true intent of this website - to tell it like it is and not tell it like we are told to believe by advertising, will keep on vexing the corporate zombies with the inconvenient consumer truths that just won't go away.

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mcgs999

February 5, 2010 2:35 PM

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its not a matter if they are evil or not - its a matter of what they could do to the market place.

They have been manipulating city council in philly with who knows what kind of backroom deals to keep FIOS out of the city. How is that good for city dwellers? How is it good for the city itself?

Hell i refused to look at homes in the city when I was buying SIMPLY because I couldnt get FIOS.

They may not be \"evil\" but they certainly are scumbags.

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Nick1693

February 5, 2010 2:59 PM

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Well around here, Comcast agreed to turn the local public access station into a non-profit organization.

And it's available on FiOS, too.

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March 22, 2010 6:02 AM

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Glad Comcast is allowing local public access to be a non-prof. And glad they don't block the access with other providers. But, is that really what we want as our arguement? \"Well, they allow local people to have control of local station access, it sure is kind of them.\"

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Preyfar

February 5, 2010 2:41 PM

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What sucks is that in Philly... you can only get Comcast cable. There are no other competitors because the \"one provider per city\" rule has locked out all competition and given Comcast a complete monopoly.

It's ass.

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Chmeeee

February 5, 2010 4:40 PM

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That's pretty much true everywhere. Much as I dislike it due to the lack of competition, you kind of have to do it that way, otherwise, who would be responsible for ownership & maintenance of the network?

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February 7, 2010 8:59 AM

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Well you know for Jews in Nazi Germany, working in concentration camps was true pretty much everywhere, much as they disliked it for lack of competition (previous jobs where they weren't beaten and got to go home every night and not fear for their lives) they kind of had to do it that way, otherwise who would be responsible for the maintenance and ownership of the camps?

I know, you will think the analogy is ridiculous, but that's really how monopolies act and see consumers. As inmates that should only be offered ONE choice, not designed to please them, but designed to be as unattractive as possible, with as little benefit (work and investment) as possible, not maintained, not open to feedback, and punishing them as much as possible while getting as much of their money as possible.

After a while being trapped into the one choice, and in full denial, many inmates will start praising the guards, trying to kiss up for better treatment, and kicking or beating down or turning on other inmates (saying there is nothing wrong with an anti-consumer monopoly the way it is) in the vain hopes of getting treated better or surviving, in complete denial of the fact that no matter what they do, the system is designed to punish and deprive them as well.

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BigBoat2

February 7, 2010 7:19 PM

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You're right, the analogy is ridiculous.

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February 5, 2010 9:12 PM

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With phones- someone owns the lines and they are paid for the use and maintenance of those lines at regulated rates. Usually the company who owns the line is the ILEC aka the local monopoly. It's already been done with the phone infrastructure since the 80's. It's not feasible for every competitor to run copper or fiber to every potential customer, so they share what they posses and get access to each-others in return. Expanding to ISP's wouldn't be much of a difference.

Info on the telephone sharing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_Local_Exchange_Carrier

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whogots

February 5, 2010 4:54 PM

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Yeah, the extra $25 every month in \"service\" and \"pass-through\" fees on my deregulated, competitive, modernized gas bill makes me think hard about how much I really want cable competition.

And since we can get TV/internet via cable, phone lines, satellite, cell towers, or for TV, plain ole broadcast .. meh, the services aren't equivalent, but they are competitive. It'll do.

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February 7, 2010 1:55 PM

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The utilities you were using before deregulation were more strictly regulated than cable is now. It's not really a fair comparison.

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February 5, 2010 2:34 PM

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No.

/Does not work for Comcast or for another cable provider.
//Just had to buy into their cable internet due to a monopoly in her market.
///Hates Monopoly. Never gets to be the racecar.

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February 5, 2010 2:28 PM

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Man, it's tough to feel good about one blowhard dogging on another. I'm gonna just keep moving here.

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February 5, 2010 2:29 PM

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Too many people are afraid to publicly call out others on their bullshit.

bravo sir

2 replies

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GMFish

February 5, 2010 2:44 PM

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You nailed Franken perfectly. He does not seem to be afraid of anything. He'll say what he wants to whomever he wants. He basically the opposite of a politician.

I personally never found him funny. But I love him as a senator.

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February 7, 2010 6:37 PM

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You know what they say. Wit is for people who aren't smart enough to be sarcastic. But I'm glad we both admire his boldness :)

Scott

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February 5, 2010 2:29 PM

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If this was an online video game, the next logical step after a beating like that would be

\"pwn'd!!\"

/teabag teabag teabag teabag

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February 5, 2010 2:32 PM

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I don't usually like Al Franken, but he just did a fine job showing Comcast/NBC what for. Well done, Mr Franken. Well done.

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February 5, 2010 2:33 PM

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I hope Franken can continue to operate like this (for the public good) and not just skirt the issue by looking and acting tough and then going to a volley ball game and drinking beer with corporate bigwigs.

Personally, I think he can embarass them a he** of a whole lot more since catching them in a lie is as easy as seeing if their mouth is open.

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February 5, 2010 2:35 PM

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ROFL, Comcast's \"reputation\" and \"good practices\" ... haha OMG, I am at the point of tears...

And I LOVE how he is scrutinizing his former employer here. And how he researched the whole \"your lawyers said this\" thing. He drawing on all his experiences at SNL to actually make a difference. Sweetness.

Some balls and some initiative. I wish more senators and law makers were such.

4 replies

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February 5, 2010 4:18 PM

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Hear, hear. Every time I've seen Franken on TV since he's been in the Senate, the thing I've noticed is that he's done his homework. Which makes me wonder why more politicians don't do the research before they decide to spout off about this or that issue -- don't they have people on their staff whose whole purpose is to collect information for them on the issues?

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February 6, 2010 12:39 PM

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I know! Every time I see him speaking, he's incredibly knowledgeable. He clearly reads the reports.
Makes me wonder if maybe we should be electing more of these guys - people who don't have much government experience but who are just as angry as the general public about the way things are being run.
No matter what political party you're part of, you have to admit that his \"We're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore\" act is pretty effective. He manages to sound like a real person rather than some lobbyist/party drone.

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March 22, 2010 6:09 AM

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Actually, funny enough, that is what our government is supposed to be. Career politicians pandering for votes just to stay in their office isn't really what the so-often-touted founding fathers were really envisioning. A reason why term limits in the senate and house would be a good thing. Sorry, gramps, if you haven't acomplished something by now, too bad. Get it done in 4-8 years, cuz that's when you should be getting the final boot.

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ARP

February 5, 2010 4:31 PM

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There's no need to do research, your lobbyists/ corporate donors tell you how to vote and what to say.

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February 7, 2010 6:39 PM

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Clearly you not only don't know Franken but didn't WTFC (watch the f'ing clip).

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February 12, 2010 2:08 PM

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clearly you don't have any deductive ablilities or you'd have surmised that he was speaking of politicians in general, with Al Franken being the exception

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February 5, 2010 4:18 PM

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Hear, hear. Every time I've seen Franken on TV since he's been in the Senate, the thing I've noticed is that he's done his homework. Which makes me wonder why more politicians don't do the research before they decide to spout off about this or that issue -- don't they have people on their staff whose whole purpose is to collect information for them on the issues?

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akacrash

February 5, 2010 2:40 PM

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It's an interesting tidbit, and one that fits well in the Consumerist's playground, but I have to say the colorful commentary of \"Comcatastrophe\" really makes you sound like a biased douche.
It's it enough to just let the details speak for themselves?

7 replies

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ZekeDMS

February 6, 2010 6:37 PM

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I know! They totally should have gone with \"Comcastrophe\", it rolls off the tongue bettter.

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February 6, 2010 10:28 AM

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I understand your compaint, but this site is well known for it's off color humor and snide remarks... it doesn't pretend to be an unbiased newspaper; it's a blog.

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reuvenb

February 5, 2010 5:05 PM

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Biased douche? Comcast is well-known and well-documented as a craptastic company.

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Dre'

February 5, 2010 3:01 PM

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Be careful, you'll get the ban hammer for calling Meg a douche.

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dadelus

February 5, 2010 2:49 PM

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Lighten up, Comcast started it with the whole \"It's Comcastic!!\" ad campaign.

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diasdiem

February 5, 2010 4:56 PM

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They got \"Comcastigated!\"

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diasdiem

February 5, 2010 4:56 PM

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They got \"Comcastigated!\"

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Jerkface

February 6, 2010 6:10 PM

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Not bad, but I think \"Comcastrated\" would be understood by a wider audience.

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February 5, 2010 2:41 PM

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I think Comcast's CEO makes Comcast's CEO look like a tool.

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February 5, 2010 2:46 PM

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OK, Franken lashes out at some CEO. That's an easy target. IMO Franken fails at bigger international and domestic issues.

7 replies

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Mobius

February 11, 2010 2:46 PM

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I disagree, voted for him, and will vote for him again. Whose opinion matters more?

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mythago

February 5, 2010 8:16 PM

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That would be so relevant if we were discussing Franken's handling of other international and domestic policy issues. We're not and it isn't.

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ChemicallyInert

February 5, 2010 3:18 PM

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Tell me something, is your entire existence consumed with being a partisan political hack? Or do you assume people actually appreciate predictable unsolicited tangential political commentary?

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February 5, 2010 3:02 PM

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Strawman argument is made of straw.

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February 5, 2010 2:49 PM

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Can you provide some examples? I think he did pretty well at pointing out that Halliburton shouldn't be allowed to rape and imprison people. That was a domestic AND international issue.

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February 5, 2010 2:48 PM

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This is the 'Consumerist' ...........

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diasdiem

February 5, 2010 4:59 PM

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Needs exclamation marks. Worst Leonidas impression ever.

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ChemicallyInert

February 5, 2010 2:51 PM

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He actually invoked Comcast's reputation as a defense? Seriously? Moron.

1 replies

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March 22, 2010 6:23 AM

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Up next from Today In Irony: \"But, we're rich!\"- Financial Industry Execs To Defend Practices Leading To Economic Melt-Down.

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rpm773

February 5, 2010 2:54 PM

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I suspect the Stuart Smalley movie isn't going to appear on the Comcast On-demand lineup for a good long time now. That's going to disappoint possibly several people.

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February 5, 2010 2:55 PM

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If you watch to the end I think Zucker looks even worse if that's possible.

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February 5, 2010 3:01 PM

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Go AL. Two incompetent boobs trying to merge into one giant boob. Jeff Zucker should be fired for allowing the Leno Show to happen at 10 pm, AND for his handling of the situation. Whether you like Jay or Conan, neither or both, the situation was handled by idiots.
As for Comcast, there is nothing i can ever say positive about this company. They are a monopoly that has bought off cities throughout the country. I would love to have an option for my cable internet. Latest price increase is now $80 PER MONTH, for just internet. Oh and then a charge of $5 for a modem. On top of it all, I do not use them for TV and they keep trying to say I owe for the last residents box that went missing. Sue me for it assholes.

1 replies

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kryonik

February 5, 2010 5:11 PM

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Sorry, what was that? I blacked out trying to picture a giant boob.

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stang99

February 5, 2010 3:03 PM

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I hate al franken and his politics but at least hes paying attention which is more than most politicians ever accomplish.

That said, I have never had much of an issue with comcast or their services, but then again I used to supervise cable headends being built and know what language to use to get something taken care of when it breaks.

1 replies

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Trai_Dep

February 6, 2010 1:34 PM

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...Which raises the question, What are \"your guys\" doing about fair and consumer-friendly cable regulation, besides cashing lobbyist checks and making monopolies even more powerful than they are now?

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vesper

February 5, 2010 3:06 PM

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Yeah Franken's good. His acting is pretty good too. I think with him having the skills of an actor, understanding how to present and communicate without fumbling all the while thinking ahead of what to say with meaning is good for a actor gone politician. Think about it, most politicians \"act\" but without skill or thought and have no critical thinking skills. Franken is a natural actor who is a politician. Think of Reagon; he was an awesome speaker and knew how to talk to people and to break down the polarization between parties. In Franken's case, I think his ability to be more brash is because he is representing his state. Not sure if he could get away with this in DC.

5 replies

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Oranges w/ Cheese hates what Christmas has become

February 5, 2010 4:43 PM

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How many sides does a Reagon have?

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nybiker

February 5, 2010 7:37 PM

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Just 1. The Right Side.

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Sepp_TB

February 5, 2010 4:20 PM

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But... he is in DC. Getting away with this. Your last statement confuses me.

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vesper

February 6, 2010 12:41 PM

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I totally messed on that one and you're both right. To be honest I am not sure what I was thinking yesterday and I wasn't even drinking. lol.

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February 5, 2010 4:17 PM

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He is in DC. He is a member of US Congress.

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dblevins

February 5, 2010 3:07 PM

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We've a new Big Al !!

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February 5, 2010 4:17 PM

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Al is the FrankenSTEIN's monster to Comcast. This is going to be a major nightmare for them until they start becoming more people friendly.

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February 5, 2010 4:18 PM

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Al is the FrankenSTEIN's monster to Comcast. This is going to be a major nightmare for them until they start becoming more people friendly.

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Colonel Jack O'neill

February 5, 2010 4:26 PM

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Just let the deal through, I don't see what's the big deal and why everyone is complaining.
And I did not understand one thing that was said in that video.

6 replies

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Trai_Dep

February 6, 2010 1:55 PM

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If none of what was said in the video makes sense, The Google can be your friend. Is it fair to instead ask Consumerist commentators to school you out of remediation class?

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February 5, 2010 8:03 PM

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So you are pro monopoly in cable and in turn their programming. If you control distribution and content it is considered a vertical monopoly. Why is it a big deal? ITS ILLEGAL

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mythago

February 6, 2010 1:43 PM

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Repetitive and obvious troll is repetitive and obvious. Don't bother replying - if The Consumerist posted a story saying the sky was blue he'd post a sullen reply saying that he doesn't think it's blue at all.

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Trai_Dep

February 6, 2010 4:12 PM

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There needs to be a Trai_Dep Codicil to Godwin's Law:

The likelihood of online douche/trollness by a commentator is exponentially proportional to the heroicality of their avatar.

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February 6, 2010 4:33 PM

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Do you perhaps mean inversely proportional?

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Jerkface

February 6, 2010 6:14 PM

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I'm pretty sure he means a commenter sporting an avatar four times as heroic will be sixteen times the douchebag.

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Colonel Jack O'neill

February 5, 2010 10:23 PM

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How exactly is it a monopoly?
Comcast broadcast a couple hundred channels, and they only own about 10, and if this goes through, they have 20-30.
So how is that a monopoly, when they're showing other content that they do not own?

There are more then one place you can get tv and internet from, Comcast isn't the only one.

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kelth

February 10, 2010 3:49 AM

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Im not sure either, even if comcast controlled all the programming and all the distribution as long as it was cheap and good then whats the fuss? if the company suddenly decides its going to raise rates sky high then that will just be a breeding ground for new competitors, creating new content and cheaper distrubution. Then one could argue that comcast could either undercut the competition to drive them out of the market and then raise rates again...but then the same thing would happen and new competitors would spring up...or if comcast disallowed others from competing but that would be with governmental assistance....so we come back to the same thing, government interference should be minimal, let companies regulate themselves, if they fail, lesson learned.

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maximus

February 5, 2010 6:37 PM

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Look. if NBC (which owns Bravo and a ton of cable channels) moves to Comcast, those NBC shows, Bravo, Universal Sports could charge non-Comcast carriers fees UP THE WAZOO with no penalty to Comcast.

So, if you thought Fox's dispute with TimeWarner was bad. Just wait until NBC colludes with Comcast and jacks up the rates for everyone. Comcast can afford not to raise prices to their customers while being subsidized by Direct TV, Time Warner, Verizon, and every cable provider. TV content should not be linked with distribution. It will hurt consumers.

There is no incentive to keep rates competitive once content producers are owned exclusively by one distributor.

Feel like paying $$$$ to just to watch NBC? That is reason enough not to approve this merger.

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February 5, 2010 4:44 PM

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\"I don't see what's the big deal and why everyone is complaining. And I did not understand one thing that was said in that video.\"

Your latter sentence explains the former.

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February 5, 2010 4:27 PM

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What the hell is finsin?

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February 5, 2010 4:29 PM

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What the hell is finsin?

1 replies

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ben

February 5, 2010 5:01 PM

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fin-syn

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bigd73

February 5, 2010 5:34 PM

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WoW I wish he was from Ohio. Anyone who thinks he doesn't know anything doesn't know the history of Al Franken.

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maximus

February 5, 2010 6:20 PM

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Norm Coleman would have cowered like a baby.

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TCama

February 5, 2010 7:14 PM

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Quote from Jeff Zucker (later in the video): \"As you well know, NCB needs some better shows.\"

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February 5, 2010 7:27 PM

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Oh please oh please let congress block this merger!

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February 5, 2010 8:12 PM

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Al doesn't allow anyone to fully answer a question.

1 replies

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February 6, 2010 12:05 PM

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He does when they are answering the question truthfully, instead of spinning some nonsense that contradicts other pr statements and the like.

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February 5, 2010 9:32 PM

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So how many Pilots did you really order Zucker? !8 or 20?? Get your lies straight for Christ sake!!

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February 5, 2010 9:32 PM

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So how many Pilots did you really order Zucker? 18 or 20?? At least get your lies straight for Christ sake!!

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February 5, 2010 10:05 PM

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I think Comcastrophe sounds better than Comcatastrophe

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February 5, 2010 10:20 PM

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Holy Christ, Jeff \"I'm WIth Leno\" Zucker is getting schooled by Franken? Ha.

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February 5, 2010 11:05 PM

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Like I keep saying, I sincerely hope Minnesota is very proud of him and if he keeps questioning them. He cuts through the bullshit!

Good wishes to you northerners! You guys need to keep him! He has a head on his shoulders!

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ChuckD

February 5, 2010 11:49 PM

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Franken is all mouth. That we know. Time will tell if any action will ever follow. But, what they hey, he could be President in 2012.

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February 6, 2010 12:02 AM

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On behalf of the citizens of Minnesota: You're welcome.

2 replies

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February 6, 2010 12:01 PM

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THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I considered moving to Minn so I could vote for him. Bi-partisanship aside, anyone who advocates the rights of, um, i don't know, HUMAN BEINGS instead of only ptotecting the interests of big business should be a priority. Unless you are not human.

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February 10, 2010 3:05 PM

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+2, you can even have my vote!

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TechnoDestructo

February 6, 2010 1:39 AM

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\"Top of our industry, our innovation and what we've achieved.\"

What the hell, is he practicing public speaking with Sarah Palin?

1 replies

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Omali

February 6, 2010 9:51 AM

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Also too in addition, Comcast is the best cable in the um cable with such as the Africas and Iraqs which is why America has no maps you betcha by golly with helping the Africas by bringing cable and getting America maps also such as the NBC maps with regards to Bush Doctrine politics which gave us no maps also and I'll try to find you some maps and bring em back to ya!

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February 6, 2010 2:03 AM

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It's incredibly depressing that the brightest bs detectors are comedians. Between Franken, Colbert and Stewert we seem to be getting the, or at least a glimmer, of truth.

I read a comment the other day that went more or less like this:
An older person says to a younger \"What kind of world is it where you kids are getting all your news from a comedy show\" to which the younger replies \"What kind of world have you left us where that's where we HAVE to go\"

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February 6, 2010 10:40 AM

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I frankly don't get a rats ass about NBC (with the sole exception for Chuck) but in the interests of the average consumer, whether NBC has good or bad programming, merging with Comcast sounds like a bad idea. Almost as bad as if the Republic Party bought Fox News.

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February 6, 2010 11:47 AM

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The hearings are a stage show and Franken is a master at it. Under time constraints Franken asks and rewords the accusations multiple times and limits and cuts off responses from the execs.

Zucker: Am I able to answer the question?
Franken: No....

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xanxer

February 6, 2010 12:31 PM

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When Comcast took over Adelphia in my area our bill jumped by about $60 more a month.
Monopolies are bad and the FCC needs to break Comcash up like they did to the phone company back in the day.

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palfas

February 6, 2010 5:03 PM

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I voted for him, he's awesome!

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February 6, 2010 5:33 PM

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Eh, Comcast's dude wasn't wrong, he just left out \"unfortunately\" when he said that there are laws on the books to protect consumers.

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savdavid

February 6, 2010 10:19 PM

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He is doing a good job. He is representing the people of Minnesota and not the corporations. Most of the senators and congresspeople are already bought and owned by corporations and only answer to the CEOs. I salute Senator Franken and beg him not to get on any small airplanes.

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February 6, 2010 11:58 PM

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Franken for president.

Yes, I said it.

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February 7, 2010 3:33 PM

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It's REALLY a shame that Sen. Franken doesn't have all the information he really should have on Comcast. Because if he did, he would have had these people from ComCast arrested!

The Comcast boxes have a lot more capability designed inside than what most people would understand. They have video cameras and microphones with capability of picking up whispers up to 50 feet. Each box can communicate with your computer when it's NOT connected to the internet. The boxes can talk to other entertainment equipment as well. Also, when you've been selected as a target by them or other criminal groups working with Comcast, any listening devices and camera devices installed in your home while you're away are linked to by the Comcast box. This allows for the criminal side of this to setup a command center near by and monitor everything you do as in \"micro-snooping\".

If you don't believe me, there's a lot more that I could talk about and even show you...

Marty Didier
Northbrook, IL

1 replies

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Mobius

February 11, 2010 4:10 PM

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And each box also comes with a Comcast branded tinfoil hat!

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February 7, 2010 9:47 PM

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They should shelve the merger and get back to something they should have resolved years ago for ALL cable customers: mandate public availability of cable boxes the consumer can purchase instead of renting from the cable company. This was supposed to be part of the conversion to digital signal for tv but I guess the standardized boxes for consumer's either fell through the cracks or victim to cable tv lobbyists.

In addition to raising your cable bill (for rental), it leaves the public open to additional charges when the box/remote is not returned (according to the cable company). For example, when I was stationed in Monterey, California, in the 80's, I was warned to turn the box in to the cable company offices in person and get a receipt - specifically, not to leave the office without the receipt. I turned in the box, got the receipt and went on to Germany. About 6 months later, I got a bill for $249.95 for the cable box I had \"not\" turned in to the cable company. I sent a copy of the receipt to the cable company and demanded a new bill showing \"Paid in Full\". I also notified my old unit in Monterey so they could warn the other troops and the Judge Advocate General's office in case they were trying to run a scam on the troops. I later found out a large number of people complained about this scam.

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February 8, 2010 11:15 AM

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Hah. Yeah, \"innovation.\" Everyone just LOVES bandwidth throttling, meddling with packets using Sandvine, and monthly caps. How innovative, Comcast.

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February 8, 2010 8:06 PM

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Forrest Gump always told me, \"Craptastic is as Craptastic does...\"

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kelth

February 10, 2010 3:41 AM

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Im not sure, if NBC as a company decides that it wants to air 60% of their own programming then thats their business, The government has no right telling them how much of their own content they should run and how much of others content. If NBC aired 100% of their own programming and it was all just horrible, boring content, then no one would watch it, the company's revenue would decrease, if they did not change it would continue to decrease untill either the company was no longer profitable or they turned around and changed business practices, maybe aired better programming, maybe brought on content from independent areas. But thats all NBC's guidance. afterall, A company needs to look after its own profits or else they aren't a company...they're the post office or the dmv....

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joe

June 28, 2010 9:51 AM

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If comcast were a food company their ethics would be to deliberately sell tainted food no matter if contaminated with E-coli Salmonella etc. This is the worst corporate outfit the US has to offer with one thing in mind to screw the consumer headed by this crook Brian Roberts!!

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