Marriott fined $600,000 for jamming guests’ Wi-Fi

[Fansome]

Marriott fined $600,000 for jamming guests’ Wi-Fi

Published Friday, Oct. 3, 2014 | 10:50 a.m.

Updated 2 minutes ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Marriott International will pay the government a $600,000 fine for jamming conference attendees' own Wi-Fi networks at one of its hotels, forcing them instead to pay as much as $1,000 each to use the hotel's own connection.

Frequent travelers often carry personal Wi-Fi hotspots — tiny devices that can connect to the Internet via cell phone towers. For $50 a month, they can connect to the Internet on the move, often avoiding hefty fees charged by hotels, airports and conference facilities. Last year, a conference attendee at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee — which is managed by Marriott — found that the hotel was jamming their device in its ballrooms and complained to the Federal Communications Commission. In the complaint, the guest noted that it had happed previously at another Gaylord property.

The FCC said Marriott charged conference exhibitors $250 to $1,000, per device, to use the Gaylord's Wi-Fi connection.

While agreeing to the fine, Marriott on Friday defended the practice of jamming guests' own Wi-Fi networks.

"Marriott has a strong interest in ensuring that when our guests use our Wi-Fi service, they will be protected from rogue wireless hotspots that can cause degraded service, insidious cyber-attacks and identity theft," the company said in a statement, adding that hospitals and universities employee similar jamming practices.

[ChrisSmolinski]

The FCC has a release about it here, which indicates how Marriott jammed the signals: http://www.fcc.gov/document/marriott-pay-600k-resolve-wifi-blocking-investigation

In some cases, employees sent de-authentication packets to the targeted access points, which would dissociate consumers’ devices from their own Wi-Fi hotspot access points and, thus, disrupt consumers’ current Wi-Fi transmissions and prevent future transmissions.

[Pigmeat]

Maybe Opryland doesn't want you on the premises, Al?

Roger Miller's "King Of The Road Motel" is across the highway. Stay there when you try to sneak into Opryland. You can even buy or rent a trailer there. You'll feel right at home.

[Fansome]

$600,000 is peanuts to a big company like Marriott. The fine should have been at least 10 times as much, and someone high up in the food chain should be fined and maybe go to jail. This was a deliberate policy, not just result of some rogue employees.

I read an article recently that claimed that, the more expensive the hotel, the more likely that they would try to screw their customers for WiFi fees. This has been my experience.

[Pigmeat]

That van by the river doesn't look so bad now, does it Al? Bring a cheap battery for the van, set up a Yagi on the roof for wi-fi, a cage trap and maybe a trot line to catch breakfast........why you'll live like a King!

How are you when it comes to serving up pigeon eggs and possum?