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.

Recent rulings by the FCC against Marriott and Smart City for attempting to block Wi-Fi hotspots have sparked debates in our industry and raised many questions.

Understanding the FCC Wi-Fi Ruling.

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 a venue’s Wi-Fi network, usually at a much higher cost. 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.