FCC Plans $718,000 Fine for Wi-Fi Blocking at Baltimore Conventions

The Federal Communications Commission plans a $718,000 fine against MC Dean for blocking consumers’ Wi-Fi connections at the Baltimore (MD) Convention Center. The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau investigation found that MC Dean, Inc., one of the nation’s largest electrical contracting companies, blocked personal mobile “hotspots” of convention visitors and exhibitors who tried to use their own data plans to connect to the Internet rather than paying MC Dean substantial fees to use the company’s Wi-Fi service.

As the exclusive provider of Wi-Fi access at the Baltimore Convention Center, MC Dean charges exhibitors and visitors as much as $1,095 per event for Wi-Fi access. In 2014, the FCC received a complaint from a company that provides equipment that enables users to establish hotspots at conventions and trade shows. The complainant alleged that MC Dean blocked hotspots its customers had tried to establish at the Baltimore Convention Center. After receiving the complaint, Enforcement Bureau field agents visited the venue on multiple occasions and confirmed that Wi-Fi blocking activity was taking place.