Computer Generated Calls to The Moral Majority Toll Free Line

Edward Johnson programmed his personal computer to dial the Moral Majority’s toll-free line, (800) 446-5000, every 30 seconds for eight months, to keep others from reaching Falwell. Falwell’s group eventually detected a high instance of hang-ups on the line and called in the phone company to investigate. It took less than a month to find Johnson, who was given the option of unplugging his computer or losing phone service. The FBI also became involved, investigating whether federal laws were broken. The Moral Majority contended it lost nearly $1 million in pledges, according to the Washington Post. Johnson countered that the Moral Majority and others prey on the poor and that his computer-generated busy signal may have given more than one person time to think twice about funding this type of organization. (Encyclopedia of Illustrations #189).