More on Verizon and its antipiracy efforts

From CNET News.com: CNET published a story Wednesday morning headlined "Verizon ends service of alleged illegal downloaders." In it, Verizon spokeswoman Bobbi Henson was quoted saying the company has "cut some people off" after they were accused multiple times of illegal file sharing.

That evening, Henson said David Carnoy, a CNET executive editor, misquoted her multiple times. "Your notes are wrong," Henson wrote in an e-mail to Carnoy. Other media outlets have since reported that Henson continues to say she was misquoted.

CNET stands behind Carnoy's story, and we thought we should tell our readers why.

In short, Verizon says it has a program that in some cases could result in customers losing their service if they ignore repeated requests to stop illegal file sharing. But, differing from what Carnoy was originally told, the carrier now says its program of sending warning letters to customers accused of illegal file sharing has never resulted in service interruption.

Anyone following the music, film, or telecom industries would recognize the situation has serious implications for Verizon, one of the nation's largest telecom companies, as well as for the music and film industries and Verizon's customers. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America have long attempted to enlist the help of major Internet service providers such as AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon in their antipiracy efforts.

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