FCC: Hotels Must Stop 'Disturbing Trend' Of Blocking Personal Wi-Fi

(RTTNews) - The FCC has warned Marriott and other hotel chains to stop the "disturbing trend" of illegally blocking guests' private wi-fi.

Marriott, which was fined $600,000 for blocking personal hotspots in hotel rooms and conference spaces, recently stopped the practice after a storm of criticism on social media.

"The Communications Act prohibits anyone from ... interfering with authorized radio communications, including Wi-Fi," said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in a statement. "Marriott's request seeking the FCC's blessing to block guests' use of non-Marriott networks is contrary to this basic principle."

The government says Marriott and others such as Hilton and Hyatt face steep penalties if they try to force guests to pay for their notoriously slow in-house connections.

"Willful or malicious interference with Wi-Fi hot spots is illegal," the FCC states. "Wi-Fi blocking violates Section 333 of the Communications Act, as amended. The Enforcement Bureau has seen a disturbing trend in which hotels and other commercial establishments block wireless consumers from using their own personal Wi-Fi hot spots on the commercial establishment's premises. As a result, the Bureau is protecting consumers by aggressively investigating and acting against such unlawful intentional interference."