Comcast Whines About How Net Neutrality Is Like 'Groundhog Day'

Comcast Whines About How Net Neutrality Is Like 'Groundhog Day'

After spending more than a decade and millions of dollars trying to dismantle net neutrality, Comcast this week whined about how the debate over net neutrality never seems to be settled. In a blog post, Comcast likened the net neutrality debate to "groundhog day," largely ignoring that Comcast's relentless assault on consumer protections for consumers are the primary reason this issue hasn't been laid to rest already.

"As the comment period comes to a close in the FCC’s latest review of Open Internet rules, consumers, ISPs, edge providers, and other stakeholders might feel like it is "Groundhog Day," with the same characters weighing in over and over on the same legal and policy issues that the FCC has considered again and again for a decade." said Comcast's top lobbyist David Cohen.

Cohen ignores that he and his lobbying friends at Comcast are a major reason why we're stuck on this particular hamster wheel, the company having spent countless millions in dollars and manpower hours to kill net neutrality protections that have broad, bipartisan support among the nation's consumers. It's kind of like Comcast complaining about how the house keeps burning down, when it's the one with the matches in its hand.

Comcast's Cohen then gets to his real agenda: pushing a new net neutrality law Cohen knows he and other giant ISP lobbyists will be the ones writing.

"While the record strongly supports that the FCC can and should classify broadband as an information service and preserve incentives for innovation, investment, and an open Internet, there is also significant and growing consensus that bipartisan legislation can and should provide a permanent resolution to the unhelpful game of regulatory ping pong and the endless Title II loop that have plagued all stakeholders since at least 2010," said Cohen.

Again though, if Comcast doesn't want to play ping pong, it could just put down the paddle. We could simply leave the popular consumer protections and Title II classification alone, an idea supported by a vast majority of the public. Instead, large ISP lobbyists have now started pushing for a new law -- with the full understanding that Congress is so dysfunctional and corrupt, any net neutrality law it produces will be notably weaker than the rules already on the books, if it gets passed at all.

If Comcast really wanted to put the net neutrality debate to an end, it could simply listen to the public, sit down, and shut up.