Posted on 10/05/2014 3:34:57 AM PDT by markomalley
Marriott International has agreed to pay a $600,000 penalty for jamming guests' mobile WiFi hotspots at a hotel and conference facility in Nashville, Tenn.
In a consent decree filed with the Federal Communications Commission, Marriott acknowledged that "one or more of its employees used containment features of a Wi-Fi monitoring system at the Gaylord Opryland to prevent consumers from connecting to the Internet via their own personal Wi-Fi networks."
At the same time, the FCC says, the hotel was charging consumers, small businesses, and exhibitors from $250 to $1,000 per device to access Marriott's WiFi network.
"Consumers who purchase cellular data plans should be able to use them without fear that their personal Internet connection will be blocked by their hotel or conference center,” said Travis LeBlanc, chief of the FCC's enforcement bureau, in a statement. "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."
Asked to elaborate on its WiFi management technology and to explain whether interfering with guests' WiFi was official policy or the unauthorized action of one or more employees, Marriott responded with an emailed 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. Like many other institutions and companies in a wide variety of industries, including hospitals and universities, the Gaylord Opryland protected its Wi-Fi network by using FCC-authorized equipment provided by well-known, reputable manufacturers. We believe that the Gaylord Opryland's actions were lawful. We will continue to encourage the FCC to pursue a rulemaking in order to eliminate the ongoing confusion resulting from today's action and to assess the merits of its underlying policy."
The FCC was unable to immediately provide details about the specific technology used by Marriott to block guests' WiFi hotspots.
Ruckus Wireless lists Marriott as one of several large hotel groups that have deployed its ZoneFlex WiFi management system. ZoneFlex has the capability to interfere with rogue network access points, as do other networking products, such as those from Cisco. Cisco defines rogue devices as those that share a network operator's spectrum but aren't managed by the network operator.
Cisco's documentation on "rogue containment" -- kicking people off your network or off neighboring networks -- notes, "Containment can have legal implications when launched against neighboring networks." Indeed, rogue containment conducted against someone else's network looks a lot like a denial-of-service attack, an act that could be prosecuted as a violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
Ruckus Wireless did not respond to requests to confirm whether ZoneFlex is used at Marriott's Gaylord Opryland.
Willful or malicious interference with radio network signals is illegal under Section 333 of the Communications Act of 1934. Describing the fine as appropriate for the circumstances, a senior FCC official confirmed that the agency has become more interested in the public's ability to connect to the Internet as mobile hotspots have become more commonplace. The consent decree notes the "growing use" of technology that interferes with personal WiFi networks.
The FCC began showing a greater interest in jamming technology in 2007 when the trickle of enforcement actions against people selling illegal signal jamming devices became a deluge. There were 30 enforcement actions filed that year, compared to 0 in 2006, 3 in 2005 and 2 in 2004.
Two years ago, the agency established a tip line for people to report the sale of illegal cell phone, GPS, or other signal jammers (e.g. radar jammers). Having initial focused on sellers of jamming devices, the agency has stepped up its pursuit of individuals who use jamming devices.
The penalty for marketing jamming devices in the US is steep: up to $16,000 for each violation or each day of a continuing violation, and up to $112,500 for a single violation, seizure of the unlawful equipment, and criminal sanctions including imprisonment. But individuals who use jammers face stiff fines too: In April, the FCC found Florida resident Jason R. Humphreys liable for a $48,000 for operating a cell phone jammer during his commute to work over a 16-24 month period.
Lots of conference centers do this. Maybe this will force them to turn it off.
Sneaky, sneaky! These conference centers make a fortune on wifi charges and it has always seemed to me to border on the fraudulent.
If I understand the commercials correctly, many automobiles now have built-in WiFi hotspots. How will this technology affect them?
Who would pay $250 to $1,000?
It shouldn't unless some self anointed schmuck runs a jamming device while driving down the interstate. Jamming devices are not FCC approved. As such the effect one can have on surrounding persons is unknown. In other words if Joe Moron makes a jammer and sells it the RF emissions could possibly be above acceptable levels of safety. Or it could effect remote control or relayed systems or other electronics. My wife about went off our lift on a van due to a nearby jewelry stores rouge "Cheap" security system activating the chair. Those laws are written for many good causes. The hotel may have opened themselves up to a litigation nightmare.
Reminds me of cinemas that forbid bringing in food, so that they can gouge people for drinks.
Stayed at a Marriott a few weeks ago. Nice hotel, but it charged extra for the Wi-fi, parking, breakfast and other amenities provided by other hotels for free (actually not free but factored into your room rate). Perhaps charging separately is more honest, but I’d rather have the amenities included in the room rate.
Mariott’s Gaylord Opryland, hmm....
Note to myself: never visit the place, wi-fi and all that...
They just want the $12 a day fee, like their room rates aren’t high enough. They do this at the DC Marriott. We just went to the coffee shop next door and used our hotspots. I will never stay at a Marriott again.
It’s corporate greed.
Who would pay $250 to $1,000?
I guess people who are on business and can just charge back to their companies.
It’s insane. You buy a booth at these events for $5k and then have to pay for carpet, carpet pad, eletricity, internet, their union labor, and anything else which they don’t allow you to bring in.
Yes they are a business but they are using public facilities. All more the reason I don’t do more conferences.
It’s the businesses that pay for access within the conference. Individuals can usually use one of the free ones.
Good.
Why should you pay for parking or wifi if you do not use it?
The F-4 actually made a great platform for Wild Weasel missions. My oldest brother worked on the radar systems for the F-4D back in the 60s.
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