Companion SlideShare to http://blog.airtightnetworks.com/fcc-wi-fi-rogue-containment/ by Hemant Chaskar @CHemantC Marriott fined $600,000 by FCC for blocking guests' Wi-Fi (October 2014) Marriott has agreed to pay a $600,000 fine after the Federal Communications Commission found the company blocked consumer Wi-Fi networks last year during an event at a hotel and conference center in Nashville. This SlideShare contains an overview of the consent decree, Marriott's position, media reactions and WLAN expert perspectives.

1. Marriott fined $600,000 by FCC
for blocking guests' Wi-Fi

2.  Do you think that hotels are deliberately
blocking your personal Wi-Fi networks so
you'll buy theirs?
 It turns out the federal government is
concerned about it, too.

3. "Consumers who purchase cellular data
plans should be able to use them without
fear that their personal Internet connection
will be blocked by their hotel or conference
center."
Source: FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc

4. Marriott has agreed to pay a $600,000 fine
after the Federal Communications
Commission found the company blocked
consumer Wi-Fi networks last year during an
event at a hotel and conference center in
Nashville.

5. Under the FCC consent decree, Marriott
must not block guests' Wi-Fi at all of the
properties it owns and manages. The
company must also file compliance plans
with the FCC every three months for three
years.

6. It's the first time the FCC has investigated a hotel
property for blocking its guests' Wi-Fi, according to
a senior FCC official with knowledge of the
investigation.
Source: Marriott fined $600,000 by FCC for blocking guests' Wi-Fi | by Katia Hetter, CNN

7. The unlawful blocking isn't "jamming" in the
traditional sense, where someone uses a jammer
device to block wireless signals. Instead, Marriott
employees were using the hotel's own Wi-Fi
system to block other people's hot spots, the FCC
official said.
Source: Marriott fined $600,000 by FCC for blocking guests' Wi-Fi | by Katia Hetter, CNN

8. "It is unacceptable for any hotel to intentionally
disable personal hot spots while also charging
consumers and small businesses high fees to use
the hotel's own Wi-Fi network. This practice puts
consumers in the untenable position of either
paying twice for the same service or forgoing
Internet access altogether."
Source: FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief Travis LeBlanc

9. Marriott clarifies its position …
“Marriott has a strong interest in ensuring that
when our guests use our Wi-Fi service, they will be
protected from rogue wireless hot spots that can
cause degraded service, insidious cyber-attacks
and identity theft.”
Source: Jeff Flaherty, a Marriott spokesman via ARS Technica.

10. Marriott clarifies its position …
"Like many other institutions and companies in a
wide variety of industries, including hospitals and
universities, the Gaylord Opryland protected its
Wi-Fi network by using FCC-authorized equipment
provided by well-known, reputable
manufacturers."
Source: Source: Jeff Flaherty, a Marriott spokesman via ARS Technica.

11. Marriott clarifies its position …
"We believe that the Opryland's actions were
lawful. We will continue to encourage the FCC to
pursue a rulemaking in order to eliminate the
ongoing confusion resulting from today's action
and to assess the merits of its underlying policy."
Source: Source: Jeff Flaherty, a Marriott spokesman via ARS Technica.

12. Marriott clarifies its position …
In additional comments to the Associated Press, Marriott clarified:
• They were not using illegal black-market jammers to block guests’ Wi-Fi
signals; in fact, the equipment was FCC-authorized
• The equipment was used at the conference facility, not in guest rooms
• At the four Gaylord hotels in the U.S., Marriott today monitors for hotspots
causing interference but does not automatically block such connections
• Only a handful of Marriott's 4000 other hotels worldwide currently screen for
hotspot interference.

13. Media Reactions &
Expert Perspectives

14. FCC to Marriott: No, you can’t force your
customers onto terrible hotel WiFi
By Brian Fung Via Washington Post

16. FCC fines Marriott $600,000 for jamming hotel Wi-Fi by
Glenn Fleishman via Boing Boing
FCC: Marriott used Wi-Fi jammers to block customers’
personal hotspots | by Kif Leswing via Gigaom

17. Marriott fined $600k for deliberate JAMMING of guests'
Wi-Fi hotspots: Posh hostel biz borked guests' networks
to sell pricey offering |by Shaun Nichols, 3 Oct 2014 via
The Register UK
The FCC's Unfair Marriott Puppy Smack: The FCC can't
selectively punish companies that use features in
equipment the FCC authorizes. | by Samara Lynn via
PCmag.com

21. Two Minutes of Hate: Marriot deauthing
competing WiFi
by Robert Graham via Errata Security

23. Cut through the confusion, read Hemant
Chaskar’s post: Understanding FCC decision
regarding Wi-Fi containment at Marriott.
@AirTight