T-Mobile CEO goes unhinged on twitter, swears at net neutrality advocates who ask simple question about #BingeOn throttling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 7, 2016
Contact: Evan Greer, 978-852-6457, press@fightforthefuture.org
Fight for the Future launches DouchebagCEO.com, which redirects to JohnLegere.net
T-Mobile CEO John Legere has taken to twitter to defend his policies amid rising public outcry about his company throttling video streaming for all customers as part of their new #BingeOn scheme.
During a twitter Q&A, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asked a question about whether BingeOn throttles videos for all customers, pointing to recent testing data showing that what the company claimed was “optimization” was actually just throttling. Legere’s response was an over the top attack on EFF: “Who the fuck are you, EFF? Why are you stirring up so much trouble? And who pays you?” (A quick google search would have shown Legere that EFF is primarily funded by small individual donations.)
In response, Fight for the Future launched DouchebagCEO.com, which redirects to JohnLegere.net, a website encouraging people to tweet Legere their thoughts on his unhinged twitter attack.
“John Legere tries to act like he’s your cool and edgy uncle, but really he’s just a bully hurling insults at everyone who challenges his company’s blatant attempt to hack net neutrality and break the Internet for short-term profit,” said Holmes Wilson, co-founder of Fight for the Future, “EFF caught him red handed and instead of backing down or trying to explain his way out of it, he lashed out like a kid who’s been caught in a lie. A person like this should not be in charge of a major telecom company that’s responsible for delivering Internet access to so many people.”
This is not the first time Legere has publicly attacked digital rights groups, or posted misleading information about his company’s policies. Last year in a twitter exchange with Fight for the Future, Legere denied that his company supported cybersecurity information sharing legislation, contradicting sources that the company had left its trade association, CCIA, over the association’s opposition to legislation like CISA.
Fight for the Future strongly opposes T-Mobile’s BingeOn scheme, which threatens net neutrality and the freedom of expression of anyone who uses online video to reach an audience, and we will continue to monitor this situation closely.
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Fight for the Future is a grassroots advocacy group with more than 1.4 million members that fights to protect the Internet as a powerful platform for freedom of expression and social change. They’re best known for organizing the massive online protests against SOPA, for net neutrality, and against government surveillance. Learn more at https://www.fightforthefuture.organd https://www.twitter.com/fightfortheftr