Civic News
Internet / Social justice

Some Penn students stormed the school’s trustees meeting to protest Comcast

Board chair David L. Cohen, also Comcast's executive vice president, was not there to witness the protest, however.

Penn students stormed the school's board of trustees meeting this morning. (Photo courtesy of Media Mobilizing Project)
Full disclosure: Comcast is the title sponsor of Philly Tech Week 2015, which is organized by Technical.ly.
Updated with comments from protest organizer Levi Gikandi. (2/26/15, 3:30 p.m.)

The Federal Communications Commission just approved measures to ensure net neutrality, but a group of Penn students wanted to make sure that Comcast knew where they stood on the issue. A group of what looks like a dozen Penn students stormed the school’s Board of Trustees meeting to deliver the message, “Don’t block my internet.” Comcast Executive Vice President David L. Cohen (the company’s unofficial chief lobbyist) is chair of the Penn board.
Cohen, however, was not present at the meeting, and student organizer Levi Gikandi said, in a statement, that Cohen was “likely in Washington today, trying to undermine our right to communicate.” We’ve reached out to Comcast for comment.
Watch the video below:

The protestors decided to disrupt the board meeting, which was open to the public and focused on “local, global and national engagement,” because they thought it would be the best chance of communicating with Cohen, Gikandi said in a phone interview today.
The students were disappointed that he wasn’t there, but Gikandi said it felt like his absence proved their point.
The board threatened to call the cops but the group left before they could, he said.
Gikandi outlined the group’s other demands:

  • That Comcast and Penn pay their fair share in Philadelphia because the two are not doing enough to tackle the public education crisis.
  • That Cohen block the Time Warner Cable merger with Comcast.
Companies: Comcast / University of Pennsylvania
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