It’s Judgment Day For Comcast…

Friday, August, 1, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

(Weekend Edition)

The Federal Communications Commission  will likely vote today to reprimand Comcast for slowing some Internet traffic according to this morning’s Wall Street Journal.  Let’s make it clear - this is no vendetta against Comcast although there are those in the Bush administration who think the FCC might be a little hasty and using “poor judgment” for coming down on Comcast.  Comcast can only blame themselves for this mess - no one else…

Do they block e-mails?  Yes.  Do they deliberately prevent some customers from sharing videos online?  Yes.  They admit they’re guilty on both counts.  They justify playing online cop but saying it’s necessary to prevent a few heavy users from overburdening their network.  You either believe them or not - I choose not to believe them because I know a few Comcast customers who are not heavy users yet have some of their e-mails blocked.  I believe them - not Comcast…

Whatever ruling the FCC imposes on Comcast will be challenged in court.  If the challenge is upheld - Comcast will continue to play online cop.  The FCC has already voted in favor of finding that Comcast violated federal policy by slowing Internet traffic.  The FCC will require Comcast to stop blocking or slowing traffic and better disclose its practices to customers.  I’m rooting for the FCC.  What about you???

10 Timeline Memories: 

1. 1921] Not guilty: A jury in Chicago acquits several former members of the Chicago White Sox a.k.a. “The Black Sox” and two others of conspiring to defraud the public by throwing the World Series in 1919 (8/2)…
2. 1933] M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E: Walt Disney takes up a manufacturer’s suggestion for a Mickey Mouse watch  and the timepiece is introduced in Chicago. Sale price was $2.75 and thousands of watches were sold in the 30s. This provided Disney the dividends needed to stay in business until the release of “Snow White“, toward the end of the decade (8/3)…
3. 1943] PT-109: The PT-109  commanded by Lt. John Fitzgerald Kennedy sinks after being sheared in two by a Japanese destroyer off the Solomon Islands. Kennedy is credited with saving members of his crew (8/2)…
4. 1966] Tower Horror: Charles Joseph Whitman, 25, climbs the University of Texas tower in Austin and starts shooting. Before he’s through, 15 lay dead, 31 wounded. Whitman was gunned down by Austin police (8/1)…
5. 1966] “Happy Trails“: Controversial but brilliant comic Lenny Bruce  is found dead at 40 in the bathroom of his Hollywood Hills home. Official cause of death: “acute morphine poisoning caused by accidental overdose” (8/3)…2001] Vikings Pro Bowl tackle Korey Stringer  dies of a heat stroke at training camp. Stringer was just 27 (8/1)…2005] Rock journalist Al Aronowitz passes away from cancer at 77. Al was a friend and I was glad I got to talk to him one last time before his passing (8/1)…
6. 1973] Premiered on this date: Where were you in ‘62? Better yet, where were you on this date when “American Graffiti” premiered? The movie makes stars of Harrison Ford and Richard Dreyfuss, enhances the careers of Ron Howard, Cindy Williams and Wolfman Jack. Suzanne Somers debuts as the blonde in the T-Bird (8/1)…
7. 1978] Grab a donut: Pete Rose’s  44-game hitting streak ends when he’s held hitless in 4 at-bats. He ties the National League record set by Wee Willie Keeler (8/1)…
8. 1979] The Captain is cut down: Yankees captain, 31-year old catcher, Thurman Munson dies when his private jet crashes near the Canton (OH) airport. The baseball world is stunned (8/2)…
9. 1986] Wedding Bells: John McEnroe  and Tatum O’Neal  touch gloves and go to a neutral corner after saying “I do“. Divorced in 1992 the couple will have 3 children together (8/1)…1994] Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley  announce that they were married 11 weeks earlier in the Dominican Republic. They do the only sensible thing - divorcing in January, 1996 (8/1)…
10. 1992] Going to Hall: ‘The Franchise’, George Thomas Seaver  of the Mets enters the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown with the highest percentage (98.84%) of votes in HOF history (8/2)…

Music Memories:

• 1960] Released on this date (8/1): “The Twist” - Chubby Checker . The single will top the charts for one week on September 19th. Two years later, when it’s re-released it tops the charts again on January 13, 1962 for two weeks…1963] “Surfer Girl” - Beach Boys (8/3)…1963] “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadda” - Allan Sherman (8/3). This single becomes a huge hit, camp anthem and even - a board game…
• 1960] Number One on this date: “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini - Bryan Hyland (8/2)…1971] “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” - Bee Gees (8/2)…1981] “Jessie’s Girl” - Rick Springfield (8/2)…
• 1969] Pop goes the AC Festival: 110,000 attend the 3-day Atlantic City Pop Festival held at AC Race Course. The star-studded lineup includes: Janis Joplin, CSNY, Joni Mitchell, Jefferson Airplane, the Moody Blues, Three Dog Night, Canned Heat and others (8/1)…
  1971] Live from Madison Square Garden: “The Concert for Bangla Desh” starring George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, Badfinger and more (8/1)…

Commentary:

The hallowed halls of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio will swing its doors open tomorrow to welcome in the class of 2008: Fred Dean (San Diego), Darrell Green (Washington), Art Monk (Washington), Emmitt Thomas (KC), Andre Tippett (New England) and Gary Zimmerman (Denver). The HOF will also honor play-by-play man and former player Dan Dierdorf and ESPN writer Len Pasquarelli. Congratulations to all…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday“:

(8/1) Tempestt Bledsoe (35), Coach Roy Williams (58), Alfonse D’Amato (71) and Dom DeLuise (75)…(8/2) Tim Wakefield (42), Mary-Louise Parker (44), Victoria Jackson (49), Butch Patrick (55), Judge Lance Ito (58), Joanna Cassidy (63), Wes Craven (69) and Peter O’Toole (76)…(8/3) Evangeline Lilly (29), Tom Brady (31), Jay North (57), Martha Stewart (67), Beverly Lee (original Shirelle who owns the Shirelles trademark) (67), Martin Sheen (68) and Tony Bennett (82)…

Timeline Countdown: 1 day until Pro Football’s HOF induction and 7 days until the Summer Olympics…

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