Comcast Office Maintained List Of “VIP” D.C.-Area Politicians & Other Power Players

A new report has revealed that a Comcast office in a Washington, D.C., suburb maintained a list of important and politically influential customers in the area — a list that Comcast claims it most certainly didn’t use to give these “VIP”s preferential treatment.

The story comes courtesy of Washingtonian writer Luke Mullins, who recently wrote about Comcast lobbyists handing out “We’ll make it right” cards — which offer customers a better class of customer service — to power players in the run-up to Comcast’s acquisition of NBC Universal.

In 2005, a Public Affairs Manager for Comcast in Montgomery County, MD, left her job to go work for Verizon and allegedly forwarded herself a bunch of files that Comcast said she shouldn’t have.

And so Comcast filed for a restraining order and preliminary injunction [PDF] trying to prevent the former employee from disclosing the content of these files, including one described as a “VIP” list.

The filing describes VIP as “customers who may be an elected official, public figure, or other person of importance,” and a source tells Mullins that this particular list included local politicians and corporate leaders. No federal lawmakers were on the list, but there was one Congressional field office, reports the Washingtonian.

Without explaining why it would keep such a list, Comcast contends that it “does not and has not offered special service, perks or free upgrades to lawmakers or public officials.” The company also claims that it “does not and has not operated a dedicated VIP phone number or Web site in any market including the Beltway region.”

So maybe Comcast just likes to make lists?

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.