Marriott International, one of the top hotel chains in America, was fined by the Federal Communications Commission a total of $600,000 for jamming conference attendees' personal Wi-Fi networks in order for the hotel customers to use the hotel's own connection.
The verdict came after one of the conference attendees in Gaylord Opryland Resorts & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, which is being managed by Marriott, found out that the hotel was blocking their personal devices in its ballrooms. The hotel customer then complained to the FCC, stating that this was not the first time it happened in a Gaylord property. Reports made by the FCC said that employees of the said hotel block mobile "hotspots" after which they charge guests from $250 to $1,000 per device to access Marriott's Wi-Fi network. According to the report, employees use a feature of a Wi-Fi monitoring system to contain or even de-authenticate Wi-Fi hotspot access points created for guests in the conference facilities.
In a statement made by FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis Le Blanc, he mentioned that 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. "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," he said. He further added, "This practice puts consumers in the untenable position of either paying twice for the same service or foregoing Internet access altogether."
Meanwhile, Marriott says it believes the actions of employees at the Gaylord Opryland were not illegal. While they agreed to paying the $600,000 fine, they defended their practice saying that it's not about charging their guests extra money for Wi-Fi access, but it's about protecting its network. Their company spokesman, Jeff Flaherty e-mailed a statement saying " Marriott has a strong interest in ensuring that when our guests use Wi-Fi service, they will be protected from rouge wireless hotspots that can cause degraded service, insidious cyber-attacks, and identity theft."
