Barbershop Punk

Barbershop Punk tells the story of how an ordinary citizen took on a major corporation and reinvigorated the debate over privacy in the digital age. Oregon software tester and barbershop quartet baritone Robb Topolski found that Internet provider Comcast was keeping tabs on his usage at all times. Initially, Topolski considered this to be a technical issue rather than a privacy concern, because it hampered his ability to trade music files, so he penned a series of blog posts, which attracted press attention. But then, for unrelated reasons, his life started to fall apart, culminating in depression and a cancer diagnosis. Topolski later awoke from surgery to find that the New York Times and other news outlets had picked up the story, which led to an FCC investigation that put several corporations (including Verizon) in the hot seat (although Topolski actually feels that Comcast's denials were more egregious than their practices). Wisely, directors Georgia Sugimura Archer and Kristin Armfield define relevant terms—from “common carriage” to “net neutrality”—and bring both sides into play. Speakers include former FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, former White House press secretary Mike McCurry, and rocker Damian Kulash (OK Go), who testified at the hearings, but the filmmakers return to Topolski and musician Ian MacKaye (Fugazi) most often. The latter provides the “punk” in the title, using the word to describe those, like Topolski, who question the status quo. DVD extras include bonus interviews and a performance by OK Go. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)