Comcast admits stacking FCC hearing with its staff

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Comcast Corp. acknowledged Tuesday that it hired people to fill seats before the start of a contentious federal hearing on how the company manages its broadband network and then allowed its employees to take those seats when the filled-to-capacity hearing started.

Many people were turned away before Monday's Federal Communications Commission hearing at Harvard Law School, leading critics to accuse Comcast of stifling debate over its practice of favoring some forms of Internet traffic over others.

Comcast said it hired people to hold seats only after an advocacy group called Free Press urged its backers to attend.

After Free Press accused Comcast on Tuesday of using unfair tactics, Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice confirmed that the company hired people to fill seats after the hearing room doors opened at 7 a.m. and before the 11 a.m. start.

As Comcast employees arrived, they replaced the hired seat warmers. Fitzmaurice declined to say who or how many were hired, how the company found them, or how much they were paid.

(The article is here.)