Boing Boing:
Marriott is fighting for its right to block personal or mobile Wi-Fi hotspots—and claims that it’s for our own good.
The hotel chain and some others have a petition before the FCC to amend or clarify the rules that cover interference for unlicensed spectrum bands. They hope to gain the right to use network-management tools to quash Wi-Fi networks on their premises that they don’t approve of. In its view, this is necessary to ensure customer security and to protect children.
If Marriott’s petition were to succeed, we’d likely see hotels that charge guests and convention centers that charge exhibitors flipping switches to shut down any Wi-Fi not operated by the venue. The American hotel industry’s trade group is a co-filer of the petition, and Hilton submitted a comment in support: this isn’t just Marriott talking.
I don’t travel often but when I do, I won’t be staying in a Marriott any more.
Since hotspots are essentially cell phones, I wonder if this would also block cell phone service. Or making your phone a personal hotspot. Either way, Marriott is now off my list as well.
The grand irony here is that conference hotel wifi is deservedly notorious for bad security. My wife’s Network Solutions email account was hacked via a sniffer operating at the DC Hyatt, where she was attending a conference. She now only uses VPN and/or LTE. If they’re now trying to block LTE, it’s unconscionable, and those asshats better prepare themselves for lawsuits.
This would also crush a lot of ad-hoc WiFi utility used by more tech-saavy conference presenters: peer-to-peer Airplay mirroring and Miracast among them.
Note to previous commenters: “…the rules that cover interference for unlicensed spectrum bands”
Cell phones use very different, licensed bands for voice and data service, so this will not block LTE, etc.
It’s a dick move, but it’s not that much of a dick move.
Into your tent I’ll creep.
I stopped staying at Marriotts years ago after they started comping speaking facilities for Sarah Palin.
“I don’t travel often but when I do, I won’t be staying in a Marriott any more.”
Not that you go to any, but you won’t go to any? Marriott better surrender, we have a badass here.
I never said I didn’t go to any and it’s got nothing to do with being a being a bad ass and everything to do with choosing where I spend my money. Sorry that wasn’t clear for you.
No, it’s TOTALLY a dick move. Blocking a service just so you can sell that same service at inflated prices to a captive audience is the definition of a “dick move.” It may not be that much of an illegal move, but make no mistake about it, it’s a huge dick move.