Seattle Residents Stage Slow Walking Protest Over Bad Broadband

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Do protests like this ever work? Sure it got Comcast to issue a statement but the company didn't address any complaints, it just talked about all the good things it has done in over the past six years.

Seattle residents are growing weary of only having Comcast and CenturLink for broadband, and this week staged a creative protest in an attempt to have their voices heard. Local Seattle outlets note that protestors last week engaged in a "slow walk" protest through the streets of the city to protest the lack of meaningful competition in the city, and the slow speeds, poor service, and high prices that consistently result.
 
A much better protest would be to find out where everyone on the board at Comcast lives, and stage protests in their streets. Put yourself in the shoes of those in power. Do you care about free publicity with a stupid protest when it doesn't affect your bottom line and you have a virtual monopoly in many parts of the country anyway? Nope. Do you care if you have stupid hippies being jerks in your neighborhood and shouting gay slogans while your french maid is serving you breakfast? Hell yes.
 
Steve said:
Do protests like this ever work?
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Just one? No.

Every time you hold a protest, you have a chance to grow your numbers. Because most people are lazy, and won't join a cause unless it's laid out in front of them multiple times. Coming up with "different" ways to protest also catches people's eyes.

Because in the end, the only thing that will get you new internet service competitors is numbers and interest. Just look at the Google Fiberhood system to see what I mean; they won't even lay it until you sign up enough neighbors. Petitions and growing numbers of protestors can change a company's mind, because in the last decade there's suddenly a shitload of money in Seattle to pay for new infrastructure. If they can't convince a company, they can always pass a ballot measure.

https://fiber.google.com/explore/austin/

But if people won't leave their current provider because they just don't care, then nothing happens. These protests are an attempt to make more people *CARE*, which is the first step in the process.
 
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illram said:
I protested yesterday by signing up for a competitor's Gigabit internet which just arrived in my neighbourhood, yay!
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I love these "I hate xyz let's protest!!" This shit never works.

Vote with your dollars. That's the only thing companies give a fuck about.
 
drescherjm said:
What if there is no real choice? I guess you could vote to not have internet. Or switch to slower more expensive satellite internet.
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There is always choice. The internet is awesome and convenient, but it's still a choice. We've just let super, mega huge conglomerates consolidate everything while remaining complacent with their shitty offerings that they have no reason to change their business model.

I can dream that one day that large groups of consumers get together and change their buying practices.
 
OpenSource said:
There is always choice. The internet is awesome and convenient, but it's still a choice. We've just let super, mega huge conglomerates consolidate everything while remaining complacent with their shitty offerings that they have no reason to change their business model.

I can dream that one day that large groups of consumers get together and change their buying practices.
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So the other option is...have nothing. Because somehow that creates incentives for others to come into the market, how exactly?
 
"Comcast and CenturyLink" is a little misleading. You can get one or the other, depending on where you live, but very few people actually have a choice between the two.
 
Sounds like it's pretty bad up there in Seattle.

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Ducman69 said:
Put yourself in the shoes of those in power.<snip> Do you care if you have stupid hippies being jerks in your neighborhood and shouting gay slogans while your french maid is serving you breakfast? Hell yes.
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Their houses are probably set back far enough from the street that they won't even hear you. IF you could even find out their addresses; most probably have a p.o. box as their listed home address. I did that when I started working in an inner city e.r., so the gang bangers wouldn't be able to find me if one of their homies died in our e.r. and one of them decided to kill off the staff that didn't save his life.
 
TwistedAegis said:
So the other option is...have nothing. Because somehow that creates incentives for others to come into the market, how exactly?
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Limit your internet usage and use hotspots? There's other options without going totally in the dark (which you could do as well)

If companies were allowed to compete freely without being blocked out of certain areas/cities then they'd see a need that wasn't being filled by the competition. If there is money to be made then someone will do it. It's how it could work if the powers that be would let it.

MavericK said:
I think we are past that as a society. It's more of a utility at this point (despite not yet being regulated as such).
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As a society? Sure, but it's still choice to use it. The Internet for a majority of us is entertainment. If you didn't have it at home it wouldn't dramatically change your life. 13% of the U.S still don't use the Internet.

My point was protesting in such a way is a huge waste of time. Those people will go home and continue to pay their Comcast and CenturyLink bills this month and complain next month.
 
OpenSource said:
As a society? Sure, but it's still choice to use it. The Internet for a majority of us is entertainment. If you didn't have it at home it wouldn't dramatically change your life. 13% of the U.S still don't use the Internet.
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Technically it's a "choice" but I strongly disagree with your assessment of it as "entertainment only".
 
So what really happened is that only a few people were walking, and then when they saw it a lot more joined in when they looked like they would accomplish something, then a huge wave of Seattle residents all threw on a #12 shirt and walked as one big unit!

ahem... </rimshot>
 
MavericK said:
Technically it's a "choice" but I strongly disagree with your assessment of it as "entertainment only".
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No, he's right: the vast majority of internet traffic is "entertainment only."

Seattle just twenty five years ago was a mostly a poorer porttown, with just a end-of-USSR Boeing to call their own, and a small but wealthy Microsoft causing trouble. That place couldn't justify paying for high-end internet just for entertainment.

But the GUI + internet + Office takeover transformed Microsoft into a massive conglomerate in a decade (grew from 10k to 50k), and enticed Amazon to the area, and Boeing has since recovered. The town is booming, and most of their workforce now relies on the thing (telecommuters). It's now become a necessity, and hence the movement.
 
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drescherjm said:
What if there is no real choice? I guess you could vote to not have internet. Or switch to slower more expensive satellite internet.
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There are normally choices. Some might be slower speeds, but that is still a choice. If I gave you the choice of getting paid $30/hr for a job or $50/hr but you have to get sodomized for 2 hours a week would you say that you have no choice but to get sodomized every two weeks in order to keep your job? Sure you get paid more that way but is getting sodomized worth the pay? That is the argument that we have here. I have to get raped by Comcast in order to get my 75Mbps as 10 - 15Mbps DSL just isn't worth having. You might even have to pay a little more for slower speeds, but at least then you aren't supporting Comcast. As soon as you start saying that Comcast has the fastest speeds at the lowest cost you are saying that they are the greatest ISP out there.
 
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