Hotel fined $600,000 for jamming Wi-Fi hot spots
After being fined $600,000 for jamming a guest’s personal Wi-Fi hot spot, Marriott Hotel Services will not press a petition against the Federal Communications Commission, which took a firm position on the issue.
Following an investigation, the FCC fined Marriott for sending de-authentication packets to a Wi-Fi hotspot being used at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, Tenn; Marriott and other lodging companies asked for FCC guidance while companies including Google and Microsoft filed papers against the hotel’s position.
Last week the FCC, commenting on what the regulatory body called a “disturbing trend,” made it clear that jamming Wi-Fi hotspots is illegal.
Marriott International’s Global Chief Information Officer Bruce Hoffmeister said in a prepared statement that the company “has decided to withdraw as a party to the petition seeking direction from the FCC on legal Wi-Fi security measures.”
The company explained the jamming as a network management effort.
“Our intent,” Hoffmeister continued, “was to protect personal data in Wi-Fi hot spots for large conferences. We thought we were doing the right thing asking the FCC to provide guidance, but the FCC has indicated its position.”
From the FCC’s enforcement advisory: “In the 21st century, Wi-Fi represent an important on ramp to the Internet. Personal Wi-Fi networks, or ‘hot spots,’ are an important way that consumers connect to the Internet. Willful or malicious interference with Wi-Fi hot spots is illegal.”
Hoffmesiter said Marriott “will not block Wi-Fi signals at any hotel we manage for any reasons. And, as of Jan. 15, we provide free Wi-Fi to all members of our Marriott Rewards program who book directly with us.”
“We’re doing everything we can to promote our customers’ connectivity using mobile and other devices, and we’re working with the industry to find security solutions that do not involve blocking our guests’ use of their Wi-Fi devices.”
