The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined Marriott International $600,000 for jamming guests' personal Wi-Fi hotspots, but the hotel chain doesn't regret their decision to block the signals.
"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 said in a statement.
The fine stemmed from a complaint made by a conference attendee at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center (managed by Marriott) in Nashville, Tennessee, according to the FCC. The attendee's personal Wi-Fi hotspot had been jammed inside the ballroom and at another Gaylord property.
The resort charge conference exhibitors $250 to $1000 per device to use its Wi-Fi connection. A person only has to pay around $50 a month for a Wi-Fi hotspot device. The hotspot connects to the Internet via cell phone towers and can help avoid paying Wi-Fi fees at hotel, airports and conference centers.
"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," Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc said in a statement.
"It is unacceptable for any hotel to intentionally disable personal hotsports while also charging consumers and small businesses high fees to use the hotel's own Wi-Fi network. This practice puts consumers in the untenable position of either paying twice for the same service or forgoing Internet access altogether."
Marriott asked the FCC to clarify the rules on jamming these external signals. The hotel chain, with more than 4,000 locations around the world, claimed its 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," Marriot said.
A spokesperson for the company would not give the exact number of its hotels that use the Wi-Fi blocking technology, according to the AP.
The FCC ordered the company to cease jamming guests' Wi-Fi signals and improve how it uses its Wi-Fi technology.
