While some hotel chains have embraced providing guests with cheap (or free) connectivity, others continue to charge exorbitant daily rates for it. The Marriott’s Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center was actively blocking all hotspots in the convention center to force guests to use its own expensive wi-fi network.
While the Marriott Hotel didn’t jam signals, a violation of law, it used its network hardware so that the hotel hotspots were the only ones that guest devices could see and access.
Marriott has petitioned the FCC to grant hoteliers the right to block personal Wi-Fi on their premises. This is being met with staunch opposition from the biggest technology companies. Google and Microsoft are among those who have filed objections, noting the illegality of any devices capable of interfering with radio signals.
A statement from Marriott indicates the firm doesn’t believe it did anything illegal, and offered the excuse of protecting its network from “rogue wireless hotspots”. The real solution to this problem is for hotel guests to boycott the Marriott and all other hotels that attempt to force guests to pay for Wi-Fi by blocking other Wi-Fi networks.
Sources: ZD Net, JimLynch.com, cnn.com, Foxct.com