Satellite Data Reseller Withdraws Slam at Cable Broadband Policy and People
By: Gary Arlen
Multichannel News
Feb 1 2013 - 7:01pm
http://www.multichannel.com/blogs/i-was-saying/satellite-data-reseller-withdraws-slam-cable-broadband-policy-and-people
A seemingly benign State of the Internet in the U.S. infographic has
triggered a thunderstorm of controversy, although much of its message
includes familiar competitive rhetoric about high-speed access.
Fast Bridges Inc., a year-old Jacksonville, Fla. authorized reseller of
HughesNet satellite Internet access service, put up the website on
January 30. The site opened with familiar broadband comparisons about
slower U.S. speeds and higher prices than Internet service other
developed countries and then focused on “Powerful Companies,” noting
that Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon “control 48% market share”
of high-speed service. The site’s next section focused on the salaries
of four top communications CEOs from Comcast, Time Warner Cable, AT&T
and Verizon.
Then a "government" section singled out Michale Powell of NCTA and
Meredith Attwell Baker of Comcast for revolving-door themselves from the
FCC to cable lobbying.
Finally, the website’s punch line asked: “Should the Internet be
controlled by a select few?” It offered a lot of footnotes to
“authenticate” the data of its compelling message and then seamlessly
flowed into a message for HughesNet High Speed Internet, with a listing
that lets you “Find a High Speed Internet Provider in Your State.”
At this point, you might think that this infographic, which quickly went
viral among policy wonks, was yet another screed from public interest
advocates. Once again, they were picking on the big companies that
“control” Internet access.
But at the bottom of the screen is a notation that this site was
“Created by Satellite Informant.”
Who?
At first, you ponder whether “Satellite Informant” may be an independent
research organization, compiling familiar data to support policies for
broader Internet distribution. But a couple more clicks – actually a
separate search – will bring you to the real source: a reseller of
HughesNet. Only if you dial the toll-free phone number at the very
bottom of the page can you find out that the entire site is (or was) a
message from Fast Bridges, a 16-person independent reseller of HughesNet
service.
Kevin Conner, president of Fast Bridges, told me late Friday that, “We
made a mistake. We’re growing super fast.” He said that the web designer
used a template that included the HughesNet logo from a previous owner
of the “Satellite Informant” website.
“The designer used the actual HughesNet logo rather than an ‘authorized
retailer’ logo,” Conner said, emphasizing that Satellite Informant is an
independent retailer, not part of HughesNet or its parent company EchoStar.
The links at the top of the Website provided the usual social media
options of sharing this eye-opening information via Facebook, Twitter,
Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest and other options – making the site look
like a policy screed. The sales link in the “more information” section
at the bottom of the page connected to a HughesNet marketing site.
With its frequent references to HughesNet as “North America’s #1
high-speed satellite Internet service,” the Satellite Informant site
offered extesnsive information about the HughesNet service. For example,
a FAQ section cites “up to 1000 Kbps” (maybe that sounds faster than 1
Mbps), and then acknowledges that “during peak times the speed can be
650 Kbps to 750 Kbps.” Of course, there’s an option to upgrade to
“HughesNet Elite” which ratchets speeds up to 2.0 Mbps (but 1500 Kbps
during peak times).
Fast Bridges’ clever infographic is a timely reminder about the ways in
which Web marketing makes it possible – easy – to distract and confuse
while appearing to be informative. Conner acknowledges that the original
Multichannel News blog about the site created “one of the craziest days
of my life” as he had to explain the relationship of his sales entity
with the actual service providers.
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