NY Times Notices $10 Comcast Broadband is Kind of a PR Stunt > Someone is not happy, even with a good deal

Where are the activists mad that it isn't going through the government?

But many advocacy groups argue that broadband has become so crucial to success in school and the work force that it should be treated like a public utility paid in part by government subsidies.

Broadband service is “a natural monopoly” controlled by a handful of private companies, said Mr. Karaganis, of the American Assembly, adding that Internet Essentials gave Comcast access to people in community settings where it could use the lure of low prices to tap into a new consumer base.

In September the F.C.C. helped set up Connect2Compete...Connect2Compete serves as a middleman between communities and companies. That setup is intended to create a buffer between corporations and communities to avoid the kind of murky territory that private-public partnerships like Internet Essentials must navigate, said Zach Leverenz, chief executive at Connect2Compete. “It’s important to have a trusted intermediary,” he said.

One guy saying that broadband should be a utility does not equal anger and insistence that this Comcast program should be handled by government. Nice attempt to divert people's attention from the fact this is kind of a crap program advertising to CHILDREN though.