How Comcast uses its political power [Comcast Roundup]

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• Political Power and Consumer Pain in Comcast’s Philadelphia [Philadelphia City Paper] “Last year Comcast spent $108,429.36 on Philly lobbyists, primarily targeting paid sick leave. Since Comcast is believed to already provide paid sick leave to most of its employees, critics theorize that the company wants to make another point — that it can do what it pleases. And it often does, flexing its political might at all levels of government, from City Council to Pennsylvania’s General Assembly to the United States Congress. These tactics have won Comcast millions of dollars’ worth of government largesse and soft-touch regulation, and supplied supportive politicians with generous campaign contributions. But consumer advocates say we’re getting the short end of this deal. “
• Right Now In The People’s Republic Of Comcast: There’s A Reason You Didn’t See That Comcast-As-Political-Bully Story In The Weekly [Philebrity]
• Philly tech scene fire “has to light itself” and 10 other Comcast CEO tidbits [Technically Philly] “Comcast CEO Brian Roberts was featured in an hour-long fireside chat with Philadelphia magazine at the Barnes Foundation and shared interesting perspective and insight from one of Philadelphia’s largest and best known companies. Here’s what Technically Philly learned.”
• Comcast, others angry over Aereo ruling [Philadelphia Inquirer] “The decision enables Aereo, now available only in New York, to expand to other TV markets, and it has said it could launch in Philadelphia this summer. Comcast-owned NBC Studios, NBCUniversal Media and the Spanish-language Telemundo Network Group are among the companies suing Aereo. Broadcasters said on Monday they were disappointed in the court’s decision and considering legal options, now that the case is headed for trial.”
• Within a few days, Comcast puts its stamp on labor cases [Thomson Reuters] “Just one week after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision limiting the criteria by which classes can be certified, repercussions are already percolating through labor and employment cases.”
• Comcast sees ‘double digit’ increase in TV show ‘binge watching’ during Watchathon week [VentureBeat]