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Time Warner Customers Get Free Wi-Fi Hotspots

Posted by Zonk on from the now-to-get-airports-to-agree dept.

Hotspots writes with a link to a BusinessWeek article discussing a new service that Time Warner Cable is offering to its customers. Flying in the face of most business decisions about Wi-Fi availability, Time Cable customers will soon be able to turn their connections into public wireless hotspots. This privilege comes as Time Warner inks a deal with the Spanish startup Fon, which is already operating a similar deal with ISPs in Europe. "For Time Warner Cable, which has 6.6 million broadband subscribers, the move could help protect the company from an exodus as free or cheap municipal wireless becomes more readily available. Fon was founded in Spain in 2005 on the premise that people shouldn't have to pay twice -- once at home, then again in a coffee shop -- for Internet access. At first, the company offered software that let members, called Foneros, turn Wi-Fi routers into shared access points, but it took hours to get up and running."

5 of 113 comments (clear)

  1. let the phishing begin! by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 3, Insightful

    She said ISPs should embrace Fon because the routers, which require that "aliens" enter a valid credit card number before getting online, put a sharp stop to the leeching.

    Moves like this really don't seem to help the public in terms of security education, IMHO...

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    This guy's the limit!
  2. Why would a home broadband customer by spamking · · Score: 3, Insightful

    want to turn their connection into a free wireless hot-spot?

    You pay for a 1-4 MB connection and have the potential to share it with 20-30 of your closest friends or what? Wouldn't be worth it in my opinion unless you're a business or something and just want to attract customers.

  3. Re:Huge implications by netscan · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I would suppose that you would be able to claim the same protections that ISPs if you are found not to be responsible for the illegal activity, it still would not protect you from an actual visit from the 5-0. Anything they find in your home/PC would still be fair game

  4. Re:With their reliability, TWC hotspots are worthl by thrillseeker · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Reliability is inversely proportional to competition. As competition increases, reliability decreases.

    Your astute economic analysis explains why after 70 years that Toyota, the horrendously unreliable competition to ultra-reliable GM, is now the world's top selling car manufacturer ...

    oh wait ...

  5. Re:With their reliability, TWC hotspots are worthl by PHPfanboy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yeah, GP looks pretty damn incensed ...

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    29 mpg. YMMV.