An AT&T spokesperson directed a few choice words today at Operation Chokehold. The satirical revolt is the brainchild of Fake Steve Jobs, which was aimed at rallying a digital flashmob to overwhelm AT&T's network on Friday, December 18th at noon Pacific time through the unified use of iPhone data hogging apps for an entire hour.
"We understand that fakesteve.net is primarily a satirical forum, but there is nothing amusing about advocating that customers attempt to deliberately degrade service on a network that provides critical communications services for more than 80 million customers. We know that the vast majority of customers will see this action for what it is: an irresponsible and pointless scheme to draw attention to a blog." Source: Cult of Mac
It was comments posted in the press by AT&T's CEO Ralph de la Vega that first led to the farcical call to activism. Even though de la Vega did not specify exactly how or when the carrier would revise its data usage policies, he did state that some kind of usage-based pricing for data would be inevitable in the near future. AT&T currently charges iPhone users a flat data usage fee of $30 per month.
The digital call to arms was quickly picked up by one FSJ reader who posted a Facebook page designed to convert the prank into a reality. AT&T seems to have serious doubts that Operation Chokehold will have any real effect on their network should iPhone faithful actually follow through with the protest.
The idea that one singular voice perched atop a cult satire blog could cause a major wireless carrier like AT&T to publicly release a rebuttal in the press, indicates the true power of the medium in an age of new media. What makes this entire sideshow all the more hysterical to watch, is knowing that the wildly popular Fake Steve Jobs blog is actually penned by Dan Lyons, Newsweek's Senior Tech Editor.
With millions of iPhone users sitting only one limp finger swipe away from joining in on a virtual flashmob revolt, AT&T may have done more to provoke this misguided effort by attempting to disqualify it. Are Macheads willing to enlist in this "irresponsible and pointless scheme" just to claim bragging rights that on one day in iPhone history they banned together for a collective LOL moment to "bop the man"?
Deep down, I secretly hope so.
[via Cult of Mac] [Original Photo by vw4ross]
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