Last week I mentioned how some net-neutrality legislation proponents had taken a technical difficulty between Craig's List and Cox Communications' outside security provider, Authentium, and turned it into the latest cause celebre. Like many urban legends, the great Cox conspiracy just won't die. The latest to promulgate misinformation is Senator Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) in the Wall Street Journal. I have supported Wyden on banning Internet taxes, been dismayed at his overconfidence in government solutions to spam and spyware, and have been appalled at his net-neutrality legislation, in particular comments he made at a press conference promoting the bill where he basically advocated a government taking of the Internet, saying the US government really owned it anyway. But his letter to the Journal is full of falsehoods, including on the Cox incident:
Cox Communications, a broadband provider that also has a large classified advertising business, is currently blocking access to craigslist.org, a large, free classified Web site that competes with Cox.
No one was blocked, although some Cox customers did get very slow connections, due to snafus on the parts of both Craig's List and Authentium. For more information on what's really happening with Cox and where Wyden is confused, see Richard Bennett here and here and also see The Only Republican in San Francisco. The former journalist in me appreciates blogs but still counts on the mainstream media, or MSM as bloggers call it, to tell it like it really is. I hope somebody in the MSM calls Wyden on this reckless letter.