AT&T Stunt Miffs FCC

The satirical blog "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs" raised eyebrows at the Federal Communications Commission this week when the blog encouraged mobile users to "overwhelm the AT&T data network and bring it to its knees" by banding together in a network-halting stunt today. Labeling the project Operation Chokehold, Newsweek columnist Dan Lyons--who blogs for the site under the name "Steve"--told iPhone users to run data-intensive apps simultaneously on Friday. The aim is to slow the network to a standstill. Lyons said in his post that he wanted to send AT&T the message that "we are sick of their substandard network," and to register ire over signals from the network that pricing plans based on bandwidth use may be on the horizon.