ISP blocks social media sites for some customers
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, January 13th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SPOKANE – A northern Idaho internet provider that also services the Spokane area is blocking Facebook and Twitter from its service for some of its customers. Originally Your T1 WIFI was blocking the sites but would unblock them from customers who so requested that action. The company has since back-pedaled, and now is offering the opposite – to block the sites upon request.
The change, according to the company, goes into effect today. Customers had complained that by blocking the sites Your T1 WIFI was doing the same thing Twitter and Facebook was doing.
Because Twitter and Facebook are private companies, their ban on President Trump is ruled not to be a violation of the First Amendment right to free speech, because that amendment is referring to free speech being curtailed by the government. Your T1 WIFI’s original decision to block the site could, however, be in violation of Washington state’s net neutrality law.
In an email from the company forwarded to KREM-TV in Spokane by one of the ISP’s customers, it stated that two-thirds of its customers asked for Twitter and Facebook to be blocked.
