At ThinkProgress, Mike Elk writes, and CNN confirms, that a key Web site Wisconsin protesters have been using is mysteriously not available on the Capitol's wifi.
If you are in the Capitol attempting to access the internet from a free wifi connection labeled “guest,” you cannot access the site defendwisconsin.org. The site has been used to provide updates on what is happening, where you can volunteer, and where supplies and goods are needed to support protesters. Administrators of the website were notified on Monday that the page is being blocked. Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Mike Tate says that the site was put on a blacklist typically used to filter out pornography sites so that protestors inside the Capitol could not access this key site.
Former Wisconsin Assistant Attorney General Charles Hoornstra said that, if Walker is blocking the website, it could be a violation of state and federal laws concerning free speech laws. The accusation by the Wisconsin Democratic Party accompanies an accusation by the Teaching Assistants Association that Wisconsin state authorities cut off wifi access to a room they had taken over as a headquarters inside of the Capitol.
Another parallel to Egypt and one that's not good for Gov. Walker. Sounds like in addition to food donations, the Wisconsin protesters could use some broadband cards or mifi hotspots to get around this latest dictatorial act. Or Walker could recognize that, while he wants to be a dictator, that wasn't what he was elected to be.
Update: Power of the press: apparently, as of this afternoon, the site is unblocked. From defendwisconsin.org:
The defendwisconsin.org website had been inaccessible from the Capitol building’s “guest” wi-fi network since Monday morning. On Tuesday afternoon we regained access to the website, which has been crucial to reaching our supporters around the state, nation and globe.
The Teaching Assistants’ Association, other public sector unions and concerned citizens from around the state have been working out of the Capitol for the past week to ensure that the state’s decision-makers hear our voices. We have used the “guest” wireless account, which is publicly accessible to all visitors to the Capitol, to get messages to the media and other volunteers. Lack of access to defendwisconsin.org has been another in a long-line of frustrations as we have tried to get Governor Walker and other decision-makers to actively listen to our voices.