Score one for sanity: A federal court judge recently denied Comcast’s request to throw out a lawsuit alleging that the cable company’s “Broadcast TV” and “Regional Sports” fees are just misleading ways to raise customers’ bills without having to increase the advertised price. [More]
small victories
Comcast Will Pay $50M To End 11-Year-Old Class Action That Sought $875M
By 10.29.14
Nearly 11 years after it was first filed — and after a trip that saw it go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court — a class action claim brought against Comcast by cable customers here in the Philadelphia area may finally be coming to an end, and for only a small fraction of what the plaintiffs had once hoped to collect. [More]
Unholy Alliance Of MLB, NHL, DirecTV & Comcast Lose Bid To Derail Fans’ Antitrust Suit
By 8.12.14
A goalie, a shortstop, a satellite dish repairmen, and a Comcast tech all walk into a courtroom (well, the Comcast tech comes a few hours late but tells his boss he arrived on time). This oddball mish-mash of sports leagues and pay-TV giants have been trying to convince a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit brought against them by sports fans unhappy with rules they believe allow the leagues to make a pile of cash by limiting access to out-of-market games. But last week, the judge ruled against the sporty alliance, bringing this case one step closer to trial. [More]
FTC Fines Debt Collector $2.5 Million For Deceiving Consumers
By 1.30.12
After years of writing about shady practices by debt collectors, it’s nice to finally write that there’s a small bit of justice in this world. Today, the Federal Trade Commission announced a $2.5 million civil penalty against Asset Acceptance, one of the country’s largest debt collectors, for making misrepresentations and deceiving consumers in the name of collecting debts. [More]
Time Magazine Dubs 'The Protester' Its Person Of The Year For 2011
By 12.14.11
After a year marked by mass public outcries in most parts of the world, and tilting at the windmills of everything from totalitarian governments to unchecked financial institutions, Time magazine has handed its annual Person of the Year cover to “The Protestor.” [More]
Verizon Tells Customer She Needs Lawyer & Subpoena For Itemized Bill, Judge Disagrees
By 7.14.11
Earlier this year, a woman in Pennsylvania contacted Verizon to find out more information about the $4.19 she was being charged on her home phone bill for six, unspecified local calls. Big V told her it would provide the itemized information, if she got a lawyer with a subpoena. Several months later, and without an attorney, she finally got a judge to agree with her. [More]
