Marriott International has responded to concerns from customers over its handling of internet access, announcing Wednesday it will no longer block guests at its hotels from using their personal Wi-Fi hotspots.
The decision follows a year after the hotel group received a $600,000 fine from a U.S. watchdog after a guest at a hotel in Nashville complained about the company jamming mobile hotspots, according to BBC News.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission would find in an investigation that guest-created hotspots weren't getting support in the hotel due to its Wi-Fi monitoring system. This resulted in laptops, smartphones and tablets connected to either a Mi-Fi add-on or hotspot created by a device already linked into the hotel's Internet system disconnecting quickly.
The move received a great deal of criticism from the FCC, which called it "unacceptable" and said Marriott was making conference attendees pay between $250 and $1,000 per device to access the internet, BBC News reported. Google, Microsoft and other tech giants also showed opposition to the practice, saying it went against public interest.
Marriott, based in Bethesda, Md., argued at the time that it blocked mobile hotspots that guests used outside their bedrooms in order to solve security issues, expressing concern over hackers obtaining data from guests. However, it appears the firm has changed its stance on the issue.
"Marriott International listens to its customers and we will not block guests from using their personal wi-fi devices at any of our managed hotels," the company said.
While Marriott agreed to stop block guests' hotspots, it still expressed its commitment "to protecting the security of Wi-Fi access," specifically in conference and meeting areas of its hotels, SlashGear reported.
The company said it will keep working with the FCC on establishing rules for the security practices it can use to keep its customers' digital data safe, assuring that it won't block any hotspots in future practices.
