Consumers now expect complementary Wi-Fi access as part of the basic experience at cafes and restaurants around the country. But as evidenced in a recent editorial in The New York Times, some shop owners are beginning to push back, establishing “no computer” hours or limiting access to a short duration.

It’s no wonder. Some customers of these establishments rightly or wrongly assume if they get a cup of coffee or a sandwich, they can occupy a table for hours on end – and they’re wrong to assume so.

I’ve been a full-time telecommuter now for 11 years. In that time I’ve seen my preferred mode of work go from a curiosity to an increasingly mainstream lifestyle. There are a lot of reasons for it that pop to mind, such as ubiquitous and cheap Internet access; the proliferation of reasonably high-powered mobile computers with wireless networking access built in; and a changing economy that demands a lot more freelance labor than ever before.

It’s one of those situations that’s erupted because of the confluence of several conflicting issues: technology, the economy, and a general lack of social etiquette to help guide people’s behavior.

The Times’ Nick Bilton acts incensed that Kindles and iPads fall into the same broad “no computer” category as a MacBook or a ThinkPad. Perhaps he’s being sarcastic, or perhaps he really doesn’t get it – that especially in densely populated urban areas, telecommuters who camp out at tables or bars for hours on end waste space that could be occupied by a larger volume of paying customers. He likens a Kindle or an iPad to a paperback book or newspaper, but as any user of that device knows, including Bilton himself, they’re considerably more than that – and thus can be considerably more distracting.

Some companies like McDonald’s have honed their entire business around volume, encouraging customers to eat and leave quickly – make furniture just uncomfortable enough, use just unsettlingly brash enough colors, offer customers large-bore straws to make drinks go down faster. Sure, McDonald’s offers free Wi-Fi now, but do you actually see anyone spending the afternoon there? Not unless they’re taking regular trips to the chiropractor (and on a battery of statin drugs, to boot).

There could be some navigable solutions here – a reserved seating area in some particularly high-traffic establishments specifically for telecommuters, for example. People willing to pay a premium to stay for longer periods – either by buying more food and drink or by paying a nominal space rental fee. Some more technically savvy places can lock out IP addresses after a specific duration, I suppose, but that won’t fix things for computers, netbooks, iPads and other devices that can use 3G. Quite frankly, just hanging a sign saying “no computer use between these hours” seems like a simple, low-tech reasonable solution.

One way or the other, I don’t think that Bilton’s coffee shop is being unreasonable asking people not to use computers, or the sandwich shop restricting their use during their peak traffic hours. It’s their place, after all, and they set the rules and expectations. If the customers don’t like it, they’re welcome to go somewhere else. But my suspicion is that at one or both of the locations he’s mentioned, these policies have developed as a direct result of customer complaints.

Perhaps I’m different than many, but I quite prefer to work at home as opposed to going out to a cybercafe or Wi-Fi-equipped sandwich shop. Part of that is driven by my general reluctance to put on more than a pair of boxers unless absolutely necessary, but frankly, I’ve never felt comfortable mooching Internet access in return for a $4 coffee or an $8 sandwich. I admit that I do hop on the local deli’s Wi-Fi on occasion, but it certainly hasn’t replaced the home office.

Especially for as long as they keep the “No shirt, no shoes, no service” sign in the window.