Marriott International fined over jamming of Wi-fi signals

Marriott International will pay the US government a US$600,000 fine for jamming conference attendees' own Wi-fi networks at one of its hotels, forcing them to pay as much as US$1,000 each to use the hotel's connection.

Frequent travellers often carry personal Wi-fi hotspots that can connect to the internet via mobile phone towers. For US$50 a month, they can connect to the internet on the move, often avoiding hefty fees charged by hotels, airports and conference facilities.

Last year, a conference delegate at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Centre in Nashville, in the US state of Tennessee, which is managed by Marriott, found the hotel was jamming a device in its ballrooms and complained to the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC said Marriott, which operates but does not own the Nashville hotel, had no business sending signals to deactivate personal connectors. Wi-fi costs for conferences ranged from US$250 to US$1,000 per device, the watchdog said.

While agreeing to the fine, Marriott on Friday defended the practice of jamming guests' own Wi-fi networks.