'Concerned Citizen' Critic Of Muni Cable System Now Admits He Works For Time Warner Cable
from the well,-look-at-that... dept
The big broadband providers have long been fighting local community/muni broadband efforts, passing laws and making ridiculous claims about those efforts. The real point is that these service providers don't want competition and want to charge monopoly prices. While I have my concerns about how effectively some community broadband projects can work, the attempts to legally block them go way overboard -- especially in North Carolina. Karl Bode now points our attention to the news that one very vocal "concerned citizen" critic of just such a community cable effort in NC has now admitted he works for Time Warner Cable, the monopoly cable provider in the area, though he never disclosed this when criticizing the community effort, and, in fact denied working for the company when asked about it:Andy Stevens of Troutman has spoken out against the towns’ 2007 cable purchase, posted comments on this and other local websites and started an anti-MI-Connection blog. He has described himself as a concerned citizen and an opponent of government ownership of government involvement in telecommunications. When reporters and local officials have questioned him about his employment, he has repeatedly denied working for the company.Not only that, but it turns out he doesn't even live in the service area of the community broadband effort. When confronted with all of this Stevens apparently claimed that he "separates" his employment from his criticisms. I guess that must be why he denied working for the company when he did.
But in an email to DavidsonNews.net on Friday, Mr. Stevens acknowledged he works for Time Warner Cable as an installer. His admission followed an encounter with MI-Connection’s general manager, who spotted Mr. Stevens at a local shopping center wearing a Time Warner Cable uniform and driving a Time Warner Cable truck.
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Filed Under: broadband, north carolina
Companies: time warner cable
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An installer?
I understand that a competitor would limit the number of places that an installer like Mr. SockPuppet would be able to catch a nap or eat a meal or browse for porn while handling the nearly impossible task of connecting cable A to port B, but it would seem that a concentrated effort like this (including starting up a website) is kind of "working above your pay grade."
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Re: An installer?
I see it more as a guy worried about keeping his job more than anything else. I mean say they lose significant market share, who is getting laid off? The CFO or director? hah.
His horse is actually bigger than theirs if he takes a long view.
Besides, the costs of starting a website are virtually nil, especially if you already have hosting somewhere for another project. It's likely cheaper than putting together a halfway decent protest sign.
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Re: Re: An installer?
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taking food out of his kids mouths
Gee that sounds awfully familiar. Let me try a few substitutions.
Oh, man, that just has such a familiar ring to it. I'd swear I've heard it before.
Let me try this one.
By George, it's like deja vu!
Golly, I must be having hearing problems. It's like I keep hearing the same thing over and over again.
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Re: taking food out of his kids mouths
At the time I worked for Creative Labs, the tradeshow in particular was Internet World or PC Expo, around 2000 - 2001 or thereabouts. The pod in question had 6 computers inside with monitors on the outside. I was running the cables from the monitors to the PCs and knew which cables went where. None of them were marked. I was halfway through the job when the guy rolled in and started acting crazy and said I was taking food away from him. I had to go back and redo the connections he made because he didn't know which cables went where. I route my cables and he screwed the job up.
I have also been threatened by union workers in Las Vegas. Comdex, before it crashed, when CRT monitors were still being used. The booth in question was massive, like 100' X 300' or something similar. When the crates come in they just get dumped wherever there is space, so we have to haul the stuff through the booth usually. I was carrying a monitor box from one end of the booth to the other and walked past a few union guys setting up a stage, and one of them said "You're gonna get yourself hurt by carrying those boxes." Not "you will hurt yourself" or "you will hurt your back", but "You're gonna get yourself hurt". At the time, and probably still true today, any boxes that are moved in these convention centers require 2 people. It doesn't matter how small the box is.
I have lots more tradeshow/union dirt than that.
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Re: Re: taking food out of his kids mouths
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Re: Re: taking food out of his kids mouths
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Re: Re: taking food out of his kids mouths
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Re: Re: taking food out of his kids mouths
More like he was calling out that union worker's complaint as Bullspit, and not your story.
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Re: An installer?
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North Carolina, ranting and raving ... sounds more like the tea party than than a union.
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Not sure what to say
First off it doesn't matter who you work for, you have a right to speak out against anything you feel is wrong in your community. And his defense for not telling who he worked for should have been simply "Why does it matter, I am a part of the community and this is what I believe, and my employer has no relevance."
But then for that to be valid the moron needed to be a part of the community that he was trying to change.... But then honestly considering his actions he may soon find himself a member of a new community, one of unemployed individuals.
If his actions were not sanctioned by Time Warner then they have no other recourse than to at least discipline him, if not fire him. If his actions WERE sanctioned by them, then I am sure that right about now they are negotiating a severance package that includes a pretty strict non disclosure clause.
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I think personally I would be concerned about having broadband control in the hands of any government agency though. In fact I would go so far as to say that I would be concerned about ANY form of communications being in control of a Government Agency.
Every day we see the 4th Amendment made less and less relevant by the rulings of the judges who are supposed to be the final stance in the protection of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. But at least with control communications mediums in the hands of Corporate America or in the hands of a private citizen there is a chance (however small) that we might find out about violations of our rights. With control of the communications in the Governments hands they are essentially free to do anything they want with the infrastructure that they own.
Not saying that ALL government employees are corrupt, but all it would take is a few individuals in the right places that were corrupt to take serious advantage of government controlled communications infrastructures. And the sad part it wouldn't even need to be high level polititians in the case of an internet infrastructure, especially at a community level.
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Re: Not sure what to say
If you are concerned about anyone looking at or examining the data moving through your internet connection, get a vpn, problem solved.
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Re: Not sure what to say
> hands of Corporate America or in the hands of a private
> citizen there is a chance (however small) that we might
> find out about violations of our rights.
This is crazy. Private citizens or companies have no requirement to hand over information. Governments MUST. This is the main reason I argue that some things must be kept in government hands (like healthcare), because it is the only way to find corruption and do something about it. But, of course, I'm from Canada.
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Re: Re: Not sure what to say
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Re: Not sure what to say
You had shown great progress in past posts by refraining from the use of your favorite "little mikee". It is sad to again witness your regressive behavior.
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Re:
Lets see, lemme just check my local availability..
Oh wait, TWC is the only service that realistically covers this area.
I know! I will use cellular or satellite internet!
Phew, for a second i was worried that TimeWarner had some kind of monopoly on reasonable service, but as long as i can get these other wonderful services for mere pennies a bit i can see that competition in the market is strong and good for the consumer.
(/sarc)
In other words, the "just stop using them" suggestion does not help when there is only one (sometimes two, alike in evil) provider. This is why all of these companies fight so hard for monopoly/duopoly situations.
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Re:
Absolutely. Any ideas as to how to go about this in an era of widespread political and regulatory capture?
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Hm... DIY Astroturfing?
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