In a stern public enforcement advisory, the FCC warns hotel chains and other commercial establishments about intentionally blocking or interfering with Wi-Fi hotspots.
The warning is in response to an FCC investigation in which the government agency discovered that hotels and other commercial establishments were purposefully blocking wireless customers from connecting to their Wi-Fi hotspots.
The strongly worded warning says the universal device charging station FCC will "aggressively" investigate and act upon "unlawful intentional interference." Its Enforcement Bureau is investigating several complaints.
Not only did the FCC warn hotels and convention centers, but also network providers who serve such establishments. It also stated that the sale of wireless jamming tools is prohibited.
Last year, Marriott Hotels was found to have "deployed a Wi-Fi DE authentication protocol" to block customers from accessing Wi-Fi. Marriott later agreed to pay a $600,000 fine.
Smartphone users have long resorted to this technique to turn their cellular data connection into a Wi-Fi network for the purpose of tethering a Mac or other device. Apple then made Personal Hotspot more convenient in iOS 8 with Instant Hotspot a new feature that universal device charging station automatically detects when an iPhone is within close range of an iPad or Mac and displays the device in the list of available Wi-Fi networks.
The consensus is now very clear: The Wi-Fi band was expressly created for everyone to share, so long as they abide by the rules for access. Marriott was intentionally interfering with users, denying them access to something they were required by law to share. Their reasons may have been financial, but there are many businesses that are still doing the same thing for non-financial reasons.
Play it safe. Look for a safe and secure cell phone charging station. Company like Veloxity sell and rent cell phone charging stations to keep hotel guests fully charged.
