Mariott International is no longer asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to block guests from using Wi-Fi external networks inside the hotel.
The announcement to drop its petition comes just days after the FCC issued an enforcement advisory stating that such moves to interfere with guests' devices and deactivate their personal Wi-Fi hotspots are in violation of Section 333 of the Communications Act.
In an Influencer post on LinkedIn, Marriott president and CEO Arne Sorenson defends the hotel chain's earlier initiative to block hotel guests from using their own personal Wi-Fi devices, saying it was to protect guests from being prone to hackers and cyber-attackers when they log in to "rogue" Wi-Fi networks. Sorenson also clarifies that Marriott did not intend to prohibit guests from using their personal Wi-Fi devices inside their hotel rooms but only in conference areas.
Still, Sorenson admits that Marriott took the wrong approach and, after hearing from the FCC and its customers complaining about the move, says Marriott will no longer block personal Wi-Fi hotspots, even in conference areas.
"We have withdrawn our petition to the FCC on cybersecurity - an initiative we thought was the right thing to do," says Sorenson. "However, in the face of disagreement from both regulators and our customers, we see that the effort was doomed."
The announcement was not without a tongue-in-cheek remark that Marriott will "do our best to warn our conference customers of the security risks of rogue hotspots," implying that guests are likely unable to set up secure personal networks for themselves.
Marriott's ordeal with the FCC began in October, when the commission fined the hotel chain for preventing guests from being able to use their personal Wi-Fi hotspots in the conference hall of the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Guests had to pay somewhere between $250 and $1,000 per device to access the hotel's own wireless Internet services.
Marriott paid the fine but it, along with the American Hotel and Lodging Association, continued to push for "clarification" from the FCC regarding "clear rules" on whether blocking personal hotspots contributed to overall Internet security. Earlier this month, Marriott announced that it will no longer block guests' Wi-Fi hotspots, but stopped short of withdrawing its petition with the FCC.
In its public notice released earlier this week, the FCC made it clear that it will aggressively investigate and go after businesses that intentionally attempt to interfere with customers' personal devices.
"No hotel, convention center, or other commercial establishment or the network operator providing services of such establishments may intentionally block or disrupt personal Wi-Fi hotspots on such premises, including as part of an effort to force consumers to purchase access to the property owner's Wi-Fi network," says the FCC. "Such action is illegal and violations could lead to the assessment of substantial monetary penalties."
