Journalists must fork over $200 for Wi-Fi at presidential debate

News organizations attending Sept 26’s presidential debate must pay $200 for a “Secure Wireless Internet Connection” at Hofstra University in New York state. While profiteering during a high-profile occasion such as this is not unheard of—$15 for a patch cable?—what’s worse is that event staff at Hofstra University are reportedly using a $2,000 device to actively scan for hotspots and other ad-hoc Wi-Fi networks. Politico reporter Kenneth Vogel said that journalists are essentially being given an ultimatum: use your own hotspot and get “tossed” from the debate site. (Of course, this problem can simply be solved via a Bluetooth or USB tether from an active smartphone to a laptop.)

Hofstra's action may be unlawful under an advisory published by the Federal Communications Commission in January 2015 which found that "willful or malicious interference with Wi-Fi hotspots is illegal." The FCC fined fined Marriott $600,000 in October 2014 for blocking customers’ personal Wi-Fi hotspots at a Nashville (TN) branch. Although Marriott paid the fine, it remained defiant and filed a request for rulemaking with the commission, asking that Wi-Fi blocking be permitted. Marriott’s reasoning was that it could better manage the security of its own network if it blocked unauthorized Wi-Fi broadcasts.