WiFi At Logan Airport Leads To Turf War

lucabrasi999 writes "Yahoo News is running an Associated Press story on how Boston's Logan International Airport is the site of a battle between the Massachusettes Port Authority and Continental Airlines. Seems that Massport, which runs a pay wireless service at the airport, doesn't want Continental to provide free wireless service to the members of its frequent flier club. Massport claims Continental's free service interferes with its pay service. This battle is now in the hands of the FCC." From the article: "Last month, a Massport attorney warned the airline that its antenna 'presents an unacceptable potential risk' to Logan's safety and security systems, including its keycard access system and state police communications. Massport told the airline it could route its wireless signals over Logan's Wi-Fi signal, at a 'very reasonable rate structure.' In response, however, Continental said using Logan's Wi-Fi vendor could force the airline to start charging its customers for the service."

Comments

I'm clearly missing something that Massport knows

[Martin Blank]

They seem to know how the exact same wireless signal is going to interfere in the safety of the airport just because it has a different name on it. I can understand asking them to perhaps use a different channel, but they're presumably using the same 802.11 technologies.

Its up to the FCC?

[hoka]

I got into a rather heated battle a while back on HardForum about legal rights on wireless security, and somebody posted up a lot of the FCC guidelines for 802.11[insertflavorhere]. Basically what I got out of it was that as long as you are using FCC approved equipment, its really up to everybody else to figure things out for themselves. I might be wrong on this, but I thought that the FCC tried as hard as it could to keep itself out of situations exactly like this.

Re:I'm clearly missing something that Massport kno

[KingSkippus]

I wish the summary had included this quote as well:

Craig Mathias, founder of the Farpoint Group, a wireless consulting firm in Ashland, Mass., said Wi-Fi signals can interfere with each other, but not with other wireless devices.

"It's hard to imagine how this is a security threat," Mathias said. "They clearly don't want the competition."

I find this type of behavior disgusting, too. It's yet another case of one business trying to interfere with another business's services any way they can to make a few more pennies, and the real loser in the battle ends up being the consumer.

If the FCC is stupid enough to side with Logan on this, Continental Airlines should hang big signs all over its lounges and gates saying something to the effect of, "Logan International Airport is keeping us from offering wireless Internet service for free because they would rather make you pay them $7.95 a day. Please write to Craig P. Coy, CEO at One Harborside Drive, Suite 200 S, East Boston, MA 02128-2909, and let them know how you feel about that."

But then, I can be rather mean like that when people are being stupid.

Re:Security

[DanielNS84]

I've spotted and used these jacks in the Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth Airports...they are also located in the convention center in Fort Worth but it doesn't provide DHCP, luckily it was a standard 255.255.255.0 subnet with 192.168.0.X IP's. I think they're hoping people won't notice them if they put little plastic covers or stickers over the unused ports.

Re:Avenues for appeal

[tcgroat]

Reading the article carefully, it comes down to a landlord/tenant contract dispute between Logan and Continental. The airport says it's a violation of the lease, Continental says it's not. From the FCC standpoint, both WiFi access points are on an equally poor footing: as Part 15 devices they have the lowest priority at 2.4GHz, behind all other authorized uses of that spectrum, such as microwave ovens. The ovens have priority at 2.4GHz: it's a designated RF wasteland for Part 18 "Industrial, Scientific and Medical" (non-communications) equipment. These aren't bothered by interference from unlicensed transmitters, which is why unlicensed WiFi was put there.