It's not just the small towns that get rebuffed. Bob Blumenfield's famous RFP for a broadband plan for Los Angeles was met with deafening silence.

Oh come now. You can hardly blame folks with autism-spectrum disorders for failing to comprehend the social implications of their actions.

In other news, shares of Alcoa are through the roof as hedge fund managers shift their portfolio to capitalize on the jump in demand for tinfoil hats....

Yes, it's next-level vaporware.

I disagree, in both this instance and in the case of Net Neutrality, the hear of the issue is the profit motives of the cable companies working against the interests of the consumer. To me, it's part of the same issue, namely that we need to fix the broadband industry by introducing competition somehow. I believe one way to do that is to regulate them in much the same way AT&T was broken up in 1984. In particular, forcing them to lease their lines at a regulated wholesale rates seems like a good start. I believe this would introduce competition and bring down the cost of internet service provision in much the same way as telecom regulations introduced new long distance competitors and dropped the price of long distance like a lead balloon. It is unfortunate that regulation might be required, but they obviously don't want to really compete with each other. I live in Los Angeles -- one of the most densely populated and urban areas of the United States -- and I have only one option if I want more than 5mpbs. Additionally, the cost of the same broadband connection has doubled in ten years. It's bullshit.

Pft. Ninja please. I'd like to see you stand up against the legal department of Comcast or Time Warner. Also, an additional way that this might be connected to Net Neutrality is that stories about Jeremy Zielinski might well be suppressed by our news conduit i.e., our cable internet connection or perhaps NBC Universal / Comcast declines to ever report about this lawsuit (or any similar class action lawsuit). Should you choose to do so, it's a LOT easier to manipulate public opinion when you control the communication tubes. Personally, I sincerely hope that something (anything!) is done about these cable cos, some of the most hated companies in the world.

You have so much faith in the wherewithal of your average consumer to mount and sustain a legal fight against one of the largest corporate entities in the US. I find this absurdly optimistic and would suggest that you, sir, are the ass.

OK you guys are right. I am certainly aware that big cable has purchased all of *my* Demotard reps (Adam Schiff, B. Boxer, D. Feinstein) and have written them all nasty letters about it. It was not my intention to single out the Republitards, but rather to draw attention to what I consider a lamentable political development relating to internet issues, namely that the R-tards claim a pro-business mandate and are spouting a variety of discouraging sentiments. I say it's likely to be partisan partly because Demotards are arguably pro-consumer and pro-regulation when they are not having their palms greased whereas Republitards are pro-big-business and anti-regulation. Apologies for being inarticulate, I'm angry about the lack of competition in this industry.

Mod parent up. If you are on the side of big business and big money, you have to use social issues to get votes.

I'm fully aware that cablecos are paying my (democratic) elected reps, Adam Schiff, Barbara Boxer, and Dianne Feinstein. I have, in fact, written them letters (both email and snail mail) lambasting them for being tools of the cable industry. Now that the Republitards have taken the Senate and are spewing all kinds of anti-net-neutraliy rhetoric, I think we can expect a poor outcome for consumers hoping for some relief.

Which brings me to my main point: we need to financially support Jeremy Zielinski so that we can set a good precedent.

I believe it will be partisan largely because of GOP backlash against Obama's recent net neutraility statement. There are a lot of incoherent statements coming from the GOP that sound like blanket "hands off" statements. I'm extremely skeptical they'll have a 'hands off' attitude about net neutrality and then suddently introduce some pro-consumer protections. Not gonna happen.

And I think we all know how Mr. Zielinski's court case will turn out when TW's massive legal power comes to bear on him. Without fear of a powerful legal or legislative entity, TW has no incentive to treat consumers fairly. In fact, the ease with which they augment their profit with these unfair (and illegal) fees is disincentive to treat any customer fairly. I could be wrong, but I have almost no faith at all in the existing legal system to check the abuses of cablecos and telcos.

What "law has been on the books?" If a law applies here, it has been flagrantly violated for a long time. As has been abundantly pointed out in this thread, law or no law, the enormous power of the cablecos compared to individual consumers has meant that no meaningful legal action can take place to defend consumers against this vile behavior. This is precisely the kind of villainy and abuse that regulation solves effectively.

My point about the Republitards is that their opposition to net neutrality is likely to put them in the pro-cableco camp so the prospect of any legislation hampering the cablecos' evil behavior is a long shot.

Try realizing that politics has a profound impact on business. Also: lose the imperative tone, your argument will be better received.

I am one of these people. Can we crowdfund this dude?

Can we reliably identify him and crowdfund him? He MUST win.

Is this not the very definition of deceptive business practices? There are supposedly laws against it.

Well said! I believe it is our sacred duty to support this noble David against the evil Goliath or we can all suffer forever.

I believe it is in our best interest to help this guy who is suing the evil bastards. Obviously the Republitards are going to side with big cable so it's up to us to defend ourselves. It is critical to set the right precedent in court or cablecos will walk all over us forever.