Posts Tagged ‘ traffic ’

Save the Internet! 27 February 2008 at 6:58 am by Jason 626 views

Or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Network Neutrality

I failed to post this yesterday, but I have some extra time this morning. Yesterday there was a meeting to discuss Net Neutrality at Harvard. Many people showed up to check it out, learn the facts, etc. The odd thing was, every seat was already taken… yet the people sitting there didn’t care about Network Neutrality. Not only did the public get turned away, but even reporters as well. The DailyKOS broke this story, here’s a quote:

This is pretty unbelievable— there was an FCC hearing about Net Neutrality in Harvard yesterday where we had a booth. Comcast was PAYING PEOPLE TO FILL UP SEATS AND CHEER FOR THEM. Tons of folks, including reporters, got turned away. For people that still have a hard time wrapping their heads around what net neutrality is, this about sums up what’s happening.

Did you catch that? Comcast paid to have people fill the seats so no one else could get in. There is a bright side to this, though… it should be much easier to explain what Network Neutrality is now to people. The amazing thing is that people aren’t up in arms about this… hell, Comcast even admitted to doing it:

How big are the stakes in the so-called network neutrality debate now raging before Congress and federal regulators?

Consider this: One side in the debate actually went to the trouble of hiring people off the street to pack a Federal Communications Commission meeting yesterday—and effectively keep some of its opponents out of the room.

Broadband giant Comcast—the subject of the F.C.C. hearing on network neutrality at the Harvard Law School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts—acknowledged that it did exactly that.

Comcast spokeswoman Jennifer Khoury said that the company paid some people to arrive early and hold places in the queue for local Comcast employees who wanted to attend the hearing.

Some of those placeholders, however, did more than wait in line: They filled many of the seats at the meeting, according to eyewitnesses. As a result, scores of Comcast critics and other members of the public were denied entry because the room filled up well before the beginning of the hearing.

Really, what is this?? Why isn’t this being reported with the same fervor that people report the latest Britney Spears disaster? Why is this a byline, if it’s even mentioned at all? People need to be aware of what is happening in the world that will affect them, as opposed to looking to the latest gossip. As of right now this isn’t even on CNN’s front page… what is there? Well we have this breaking news article: “Model Naomi Campbell hospitalized“. OMG! Not Naomi! :P This is really pathetic and I hope this will change one day, but sadly as long as people are more interested in celebrities rather than real news, it most likely won’t.

Back to the issue at hand… if you would like to do something, please go here:

Save the Internet!

Late last year Comcast was caught secretly inspecting Internet traffic and crippling users’ ability to share files, download video and use other popular Internet software.

This is a gross violation of Net Neutrality, the longstanding principle that protects free speech online and preserves an open Internet. SavetheInterent.com members filed a complaint, more than 23,000 people contacted the Federal Communications Commission, and the FCC is now investigating Comcast’s blocking.

Thanks to people like you from around the country, the FCC is now holding a public hearing in Boston, Massachusetts, on Feburary 26. Although they are not making space for the public to speak at this hearing, you can still be heard. The FCC is inviting the public to make their voice heard about this vital issue. Fill out the form below and tell the FCC to stop all would-be Internet gatekeepers.

We need to keep the pressure on to ensure that the FCC takes decisive action.

You have until Feb 28th to tell them your thoughts, otherwise Comcast and other giants may win. And if they win, we lose… although you may never hear about it if the News Organizations keep failing to report about it.



+ Back from the Caucus By Jason 09 February 2008 at 5:05 pm 469 views No Comments

Wow, that was the craziest thing ever. The caucus was set to start at 12:00, so Jess and I arrived at 10:30 so we weren’t late. We registered early and sat down. We were told they were estimating about 800 people. Around 11:30 they probably already had over 1000 people inside and were starting to panic. Apparently traffic was backed up and there were lines out the door. At 12:00 we were told to move from the cafeteria to the main entry way as they were running out of room. At 1:00 they announced they’d be running late because they were still letting in the lines of people.

By 1:30 we were told to go into the gym, and it was instantly packed… with just 3 districts! There were still people in other areas. The current estimate is around 3000 people showed up for the caucus. As far as our districts went, we seemed about evenly split down the Clinton/Obama border (I couldn’t tell who had more supporters, seemed pretty even… not a sweep for either candidate), not really seeing that many Undecided voters.

We were finally able to cast our ballots (in a sense) and get out of there by 2:30. It was a madhouse. As we were leaving we heard other districts just starting. I’d almost assume people are still there. Even though it was a complete madhouse, I’m glad I went. I got to talk to a few fellow Hillary Clinton supporters, as well as a few Barack Obama supporters and they all were very nice and articulate on why they liked their candidate. Amazingly all said they’d support either candidate if they won, and they hoped whichever got the nomination would take the advice from the other. I was surprised at how civil it was!

Now, I didn’t bring my camera because we weren’t sure if they’d allow it, so all I have are some cell phone shots, but they get the point across that there were plenty of Clinton supporters at the Sarpy County Caucus:

NE Caucus

NE Caucus

Now we sit and wait for the results. The Omaha Channel is keeping track with live updates here, and I’m sure CNN will as well as the day goes on. Now it’s time for me to go back to redesigning this site! I’ve got quite a start and I can’t wait to see it in action! Until next time, folks!

UPDATE: Seems they estimated for less than 500 and had over 6000 (from KMTV News):

A sea of Nebraska Democrats packed into the gym at Papillion La Vista South High School. Organizers only expected about 500 people at this caucus site . The county chairman says 6,000 showed up.