YouTube doubtful of Pentagon explanation for blocking sites

YouTube's co-founders on Thursday challenged the Pentagon's assertion that soldiers overseas were sapping too much bandwidth by watching online videos, the military's principal rationale for blocking popular Web sites from Defense Department computers.

"They said it might be a bandwidth issue, but they created the Internet, so I don't know what the problem is," CEO Chad Hurley said with a hearty laugh during an interview with The Associated Press.

Hurley, Chief Technology Officer Steve Chen and YouTube spokeswoman Julie Supan emphasized that the online video company is trying to work with the Pentagon in hopes the military will reverse course or at least partially repeal the ban.