A Wi-Fi Problem for Hotels?

Modern technology has made it possible for people to set up their own personal Wi-Fi networks anywhere they want. Except in the occasional Marriott.

An industry group that includes Marriott International has petitioned the Federal Communications Commission for guidance on whether hotels are acting within the law when they disable unauthorized Wi-Fi access points set up on their properties. The hotels say they are trying to make sure their own wireless networks don’t get bogged down and to prevent criminals from tricking people into logging onto fake Wi-Fi networks. The issue is a flash point for some consumers who believe hotels are trying to force people to use hotel Internet Wi-Fi service -- often for a price. And it has broader implications for how convention halls, companies and hospitals manage what has become a must-have communications service.