Ultimate Conference Blog

Recent rulings by the FCC against Marriott and Smart City for attempting to block Wi-Fi hotspots have sparked interesting debates in our industry and have raised a lot of questions. The intent behind the FCC rulings is to protect the rights of individuals to use their own hotspots for Wi-Fi instead of being forced to pay to use the venue’s Wi-Fi network, usually at a much higher cost. But the ramifications of these rules (which have actually been in place for a long time but are just now being enforced) are both good and bad from the point of view of an Event Planner.

Wi-Fi is a radio signal that operates on the part of the radio spectrum that is open or unlicensed, or in layman’s terms, “free to use". The unlicensed spectrum is under the jurisdiction of the FCC whose job it is to ensure it’s not only public and free to use, but available without others intentionally trying to block these signals. And this brings us to the basis of the rulings against Marriott and Smart City.  Both venues were attempting to control which devices could use the unlicensed spectrum on their property. But, since the ‘private’ part of privately owned property does not extend to the public spectrum, they got their hands slapped for trying. A quote from WISPA clarifies the issue “You can't privatize public spectrum just by putting up a hotel and enclosing the space.”

One legitimate motivation that venues have for trying to exert control over Wi-Fi is to manage the density and quality of the signal.  Wi-Fi enabled devices, including personal hotspots, are meant to share the open spectrum, but, with enough radio waves bouncing around, there is going to be interference.  It a viscous circle; the more un-reliable the venue Wi-Fi is, the more likely event participants (especially exhibitors) are to set up their own hotspots. The more hotspots jammed into a given area, the more the integrity of the signals degrades for all. This is a legitimate concern.  However,  the FCC ruling is clear; show organizer and venues cannot block (or support a policy that bans) mobile Wi-Fi hotspots, even if they interfere with the ‘official’ wireless network.

What can event planner do to prevent “Wi-Fi pollution”?

1. Negotiate lower WIFI pricing for exhibitors.  This is easier said than done, but if venue pricing is competitive with alternatives, the number of rogue hotspots decrease. 

2. Communicate with exhibitors so they understand the problem.  If enabling exhibitors to set up their own hotspot makes sense for your group, encourage exhibitors to set Wi-Fi access points to broadcast on non-overlapping channels. This is made possible by the recent expansion of the 5Ghz band of the unlicensed spectrum. If the event Wi-Fi infrastructure supports this frequency, then 23 non-overlapping channels are available in addition to the 3 that come with the slower 2.4Ghz band.

3.   Select venues that have modern (or upgraded) infrastructure.  5Ghz is the new standard for Wi-Fi and is far superior to the older model. Some venues are even using 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz at the same time, called dual band technology, which will make for a more reliable Wi-Fi experience.

    

Make sure you inquire about the model supported at a particular venue before committing. Also, keep an eye out for antiquated language or policies in contracts that try to get around the laws that the FCC are now enforcing. Beware of signing any contract that that tries to “require” event planners to put illegal policies in place on their behalf. The two recent FCC rulings may be just the tip of the iceberg and you don’t want to get involved in any unnecessary legal battles.