Did The FCC Fake A DDoS Attack To Prevent Another ‘John Oliver Effect’ On Net Neutrality?

John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight had a huge impact on the conversation surrounding Net Neutrality back in 2015 and he is getting involved again. During his most recent episode, Oliver encouraged his viewers yet again to visit the website of Federal Communications Commission to protest the threat against Net Neutrality. Shortly after, the FCC claims that it got hit by a DDoS attack without providing evidence of the event.

The timing of the supposed attack is conspicuous, which have led many to ask if the FCC faked the attack in order to avoid falling victim to another “John Oliver Effect.” As USA Today reports, the British comedian talked about the issue of Net Neutrality three years ago, directing internet trolls to visit the FCC’s website, thus causing it to crash.

It was an effective tactic that made Oliver a central figure in forcing former FCC chair Tom Wheeler to classify internet service providers as Title II companies. This is what ultimately allowed the commission to limit the kinds of anti-consumer practices that carriers like AT&T and Verizon could get up to.

Last Sunday night, Oliver decided to bring up the topic again, highlighting the increased threat to a free and open internet due to a considerably more Conservative FCC. The host painted Ajit Pai as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, affecting an approachable and even silly demeanor while coldly dismantling the rights of Americans.

In a statement to Gizmodo, FCC spokesperson Mark Wigfield said that they know there was a DDoS attack, but this comment itself is suspect since the commission has not released any logs to confirm that this indeed happened. Pro-Net Neutrality group Fight for the Future pointed this out when it demanded that the FCC turn over the relevant logs to be examined by independent analysts.

To be clear, a DDoS attack is not the same as droves of users causing servers to crash. DDoS events usually involve launching tons of junk data at websites, overwhelming it beyond capacity. What Oliver caused to happen in 2015 and very likely did again last night is to have thousands, if not millions of users absolutely devastate the FCC website with sheer numbers in protest.