It’s unclear who may have orchestrated the comments. A line of the language used in the comment, specifically about the “unprecedented regulatory power [of] the Obama Administration,” has some resemblance to a 2010 press release from the Center for Individual Freedom, a conservative, anti-net neutrality group.
We contacted the group to ask whether it had organized a campaign to send this message. “Yes, the Center for Individual Freedom is asking our supporters and other activists across the nation to submit comments,” a spokesperson said. “It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the wording [of the email] is similar to the wording CFIF used in 2010 as our messaging on this general issue has been consistent for nearly a decade.”
The spokesperson said that CFIF had sent emails to supporters and posted a form with the text on “digital media platforms across the internet,” allowing people to sign their names and addresses. They also provided a screenshot of the form, posted here. This doesn’t mean the CFIF is behind this spamming campaign. But it’s plausible that whoever sent the bogus comments used this form (or at least the message from it) to do so. “Your question about the possibility of someone corrupting the effort is something we need to look into,” said the spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the FCC comment thread has been a source of controversy for other reasons. After Oliver’s plea, the comment system became intermittently inaccessible. For a time, it was widely believed that traffic directed by Oliver had overwhelmed the FCC’s system. But the agency later said it was hit by denial-of-service attacks that rendered the system inoperable.
It’s unclear how, or if, traffic from Oliver — as well as the apparently automated comments — may have played a role, but two senators and some activist groups have requested more information on the DDoS incident. Comments on the net neutrality thread will be accepted until mid-August.
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