Internet Law
Comcast Hit for Sending Seat Warmers to Hearing at Harvard Law
Posted Feb 27, 2008, 01:49 pm CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss
An organizer of a federal hearing held at Harvard Law School yesterday is criticizing a cable company for using “seat warmers” that prevented some people from attending.
The hearing before the Federal Communications Commission concerned charges that Comcast Corp. was blocking file-sharing by some Internet users. The company contends its occasional delays are part of traffic management, BostonHerald.com reports.
But the company’s blocking of spectators is what’s getting attention in an Associated Press story. Catherine Bracy, the administrative manager at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, said the company sent about three dozen people to fill seats, and none appeared to even know the subject matter of the hearing. Comcast claims it hired the people to hold seats for later-arriving Comcast representatives, but Bracy said it appeared to her the seat warmers stayed seated throughout the event.
"I think it's disingenuous to say they were holding spots for Comcast employees," she said.
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Comments
Posted by Mike Hunt - 7 months, 2 weeks, 20 hours, 9 minutes ago
Big deal. They could have hired some law students and it would have been better? I would like someone to hold a seat for me, and if these guys paid money, what’s the problem? It’s good to keep the economy going, even if it means hiring someone to put their ass in a chair until the corporate fat cat shows up. A few extra buckaroos in a recession is always welcome.
Posted by LM - 7 months, 2 weeks, 13 hours, 53 minutes ago
I agree ... what is the big deal here? This is news?
Posted by W - 7 months, 2 weeks, 12 hours, 32 minutes ago
Read the whole AP story. The room was filled to capacity and they had to turn away people because of the seat warmers. There is economic utility in hiring seat warmers only if the client shows up to take the seat. Otherwise it’s an undemocratic way to subvert public participation.
Posted by Katie - 7 months, 1 week, 1 day, 8 hours, 2 minutes ago
The issue is that Comcast stacked the meeting with apathetic listeners instead of allowing their critics a seat at the meeting. Comcast used its money to subvert freedom of speech and the right of representation (an exact parallel to their stance on net neutrality and the content of the meeting).