• Browse by: category | company | brand | product type  
  • HOME
  • THE GUIDE
  • ISSUES
  • GET INFORMED
  • GET INVOLVED
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT US
  • All  |
  • Baby  |
  • Clothing  |
  • Food & Drink  |
  • Household  |
  • Office Supplies  |
  • Personal Care  |
  • Pet  |
  • Retail  |
  • Technology  |
  • Toys
  • |  Print Guide  |
  • App
  • Clothing  |
  • Electronics  |
  • Food & Drink  |
  • Household & Personal Care
  • Issues  |
  • New! Clothing  |
  • Why Shop Ethically?  |
  • 5 Principles  |
  • Companies to avoid  |
  • News  |
  • Sign Up for Updates
  • Go ethical at school, work, home  |
  • Campaign  |
  • Spread the Word  |
  • Volunteer  |
  • Workshops  |
  • Movie Nights  |
  • Fundraising
  • All Products  |
  • Shop Ethical! app  |
  • Shop Ethical! book  |
  • Stockists  |
  • Other books  |
  • Fregie sacks  |
  • FREE STUFF!  |
  • DONATE
  • Introduction  |
  • About Us  |
  • Ratings & Assessment  |
  • Media Mentions  |
  • Testimonials  |
  • FAQ

Comcast

OVERALL

Owned
USA
Rating
Criticisms

Conglomerate

Massive company involved with telecommunications, mass media and entertainment, primarily in the USA and Europe.

Comcast Corporation   USA     website         

> About the Ratings

Company Assessment

PRAISE CRITICISM INFORMATION
Comcast Corporation
Environment CDP Climate Change Score of B
In 2022, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of B.
Source: CDP (2022)
Social 100% on Corporate Equality Index
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign (2021)
Business Ethics 0.0% in Newsweek Green Ranking 2017
This company received a score of 0.0/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2017)
Business Ethics Top spender on lobbying in USA
This company is on OpenSecrets.org's list of "Top Spenders on Lobbying", a list of the 20 organizations that have spent the most trying to influence US government policy. This company comes in at number 13 on the list, having spent $13,150,000 on lobbying between 1998 and 2021.
Source: Open Secrets (2021)
Business Ethics CEO Pay Ratio of 461:1
In 2019 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$78,869. The CEO was paid 461 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Source: AFL-CIO (2020)
Business Ethics Excessive CEO pay
As You Sow's 2022 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Brian Roberts came in at number 30 on the list, having been paid US$32,713,267 in 2021. In As You Sow's 2021 report this company's CEO came in at number 14. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."
Source: As You Sow (2022)
Business Ethics Consumer Protection violations
In June 2019, a judge ordered this company to pay $9.1m in penalties for violating Washington state's Consumer Protection Act. The judge ruled that Comcast signed nearly 50,000 customers up for a monthly maintenance plan without their consent and misrepresented the monthly cost associated with it.
Source: Geek Wire (2019)
Business Ethics Fined for anti-competitive behaviour
In 2019, a federal judge approved a $15.5m settlement in a class action lawsuit over set-top box rentals. The lawsuit argued that Comcast's requirement that premium cable subscribers rent its set-top boxes was anti-competitive and unlawful.
Source: Philadelphia Business Journal (2019)
Business Ethics Antitrust fine
In 2020 the European Commission fined several companies belonging to Comcast Corporation (including NBCUniversal Media LLC) 14.3 million euros for restricting traders from selling licensed merchandise within the European Economic Area to territories and customers beyond those allocated to them.
Source: European Commission (2020)
Business Ethics Political donations
This company is on OpenSecrets.org's list of "Top Donors", a list of the 100 biggest givers in US federal-level politics since 1990. Companies on this list lobby and spend big, with large sums sent to candidates, parties and leadership PACs. This company comes in at number 36 on the list, with contributions totalling $59,236,125 between 1990 and 2020.
Source: Open Secrets (2020)
Business Ethics 47.5/125 at JUST Capital
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2023 rankings JUST Capital asked a representative sample of 3,002 Americans to compare 20 different business Issues on a head-to-head basis, producing a reliable hierarchy of Issues ranked in order of priority. Issues are organised under the headings Workers, Customers, Communities, the Environment, or Shareholders & Governance. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 533rd of 951 companies, and 6th of 10 Telecommunications companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2023)
Business Ethics 28/100 S&P Global ESG Score
This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 28/100 in the Media category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 18 Nov 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022)
Business Ethics Top spender on lobbying in USA
This company is on OpenSecrets.org's list of "Top Spenders on Lobbying", a list of the 20 organizations that have spent the most trying to influence US government policy. This company comes in at number 6 on the list, having spent $19,680,000 on lobbying in 2020.
Source: Open Secrets (2021)
Business Ethics Retirement plan investments
The Invest Your Values Corporate Retirement Plan Sustainability Scorecard by As You Sow rates retirement plans on seven environmental and social sustainability issues. This company's default corporate retirement plan offered to employees is the Vanguard Target Retirement Fund which is rated Fair for gender equality and civilian firearms, and Poor for fossil fuels, deforestation, prison industrial complex, military weapons and tobacco. This retirement plan has millions of dollars invested in fossil fuels, deforestation-risk agribusiness, and arms manufacturers.
Source: As You Sow (2022)
Business Ethics Sustainability claims
This company has sustainability claims on its website.
Source: company website (2020)
Business Ethics OpenSecrets.org profile
OpenSecrets.org tracks the influence of money on U.S. politics, and how that money affects policy and citizens' lives. Follow link to see this company's record of political donations, lobbying, outside spending and more.
Source: Open Secrets (2020)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Public company
Founded 1963
Subsidiaries NBCUniversal Media LLC 

Mass media

Media brands include NBC, Universal, Dreamworks, MSNBC and Hayu.

Contact Details

Address USA
Website corporate.comcast.com

Products / Brands

NBCUniversal
Hayu Video Streaming


  • About Us

    • Introduction
    • About Shop Ethical!
    • About ECG
    • About the Ratings
    • Assessment sources
    • Shop Ethical! database
    • Shop Ethical! book
    • Shop Ethical! app
    • Contact us
    • FAQ

    • Copyright
    • Privacy
    • Disclaimer
  • Get Informed

    • ISSUES
    • GET INFORMED
    • Electronics Guide
    • Clothing Guide
    • Values Screen
    • Why Shop Ethically?
    • 5 Principles
    • Be Inspired
    • Calendar
    • Local Harvest
  • Get Involved

    • GET INVOLVED
    • Go Ethical at school,
      work, home, church
    • Run a workshop or tour
    • Host a movie night
    • Spread the word
    • Resources
    • Volunteer
    • Support us
  • Connect

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Suggest brand/company
    • Report an error
    • Give feedback
    • Sign up for updates
    • Past newsletters
    • >>DONATE<<

    • GET the GUIDE
        • App Store
        • Google Play
        • buy our book