MOSCOW, October 4 (RIA Novosti) - The Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee was fined $600,000 by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for using signal-blocking technology to prevent customers from accessing the internet through personal Wi-Fi hotspots, PCWorld reported.
The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc said in a statement that there is no justification for blocking people’s “personal Internet connection,” adding that “it is unacceptable for any hotel to intentionally disable personal hotspots while also charging customers and small businesses high fees to use the hotel’s own Wi-Fi network.”
The hotel attempted to justify their decision, citing threats of degraded service, cyber-attacks and identity theft, adding that similar blocking systems exist at hospitals and universities, the source said. They made it clear that they did not agree with the FCC’s decision, and that they will challenge it. A company spokesman stated in an email press release that he believed the company’s “actions were lawful,” and that they “would continue to encourage the FCC” to change its policy.
The FCC made the decision after following up on a complaint made by a visitor in March 2013 about the hotel’s policies. These include charging exhibitors and conference organizers anywhere from $250 to $1,000 per device to access the hotel’s network.
Frequent travelers often carry personal Wi-Fi hotspot devices and hotspot –enabled smartphones, allowing them to connect to the internet via cellphone towers, thus avoiding fees at hotels, airports, and other public areas.
In addition to the fine, Marriott will have to stop using Wi-Fi blocking technology at other hotels, and submit compliance reports to the FCC every three months for three years, the FCC statement noted.
Apparently, only a handful of Mariott’s 4,000 hotels worldwide actually use hotspot blocking measures.
This is the first time that the FCC has investigated a case of hotel Wi-Fi jamming, and it may serve as a precedent for other Wi-Fi service providers in public places in the United States and elsewhere.
