Hotel giant Marriott has been fined $600,000 (£375,716) for jamming guests’ Wi-Fi at one of its establishments in America.
The Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee blocked conference attendees’ personal Wi-Fi networks, then charged them huge amounts for using the hotel’s own connection, reported independent.co.uk.
Visitors were required to pay as much as $1,000 per access point to get online, as the Marriott had disabled access to personal Wi-Fi. A guest complained to the Federal Communications Commission, reporting that it had also happened previously at another Gaylord property, noted guardian.co.uk.
The personal Wi-Fi hotspots are popular with frequent travellers as a way to avoid paying the sometimes hefty fees levied by hotels, airports and conference centres. The tiny devices allow connection to the internet via cell phone towers for a set fee per month.
Marriott has agreed to pay the fine to the government but defended the practice of jamming, claiming it was about protecting its network. The company said in a statement: “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 has instructed its hotels in the use of jamming technology going forward, to ensure it is not used in this way again said the FCC. Travis LeBlanc, chief of the FCC’s enforcement bureau underlined: “It is unacceptable for any hotel to intentionally disable personal hotspots while also charging consumers and small businesses high fees to use the hotel’s own Wi-Fi network.”
