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FCC Fines Smart City $750K For Blocking Wi-Fi
schwit1 writes: FCC's Enforcement Bureau today announced a $750,000 settlement with Smart City Holdings, LLC for blocking consumers' Wi-Fi at various convention centers around the United States. Smart City, an Internet and telecommunications provider for conventions, meeting centers, and hotels, had been blocking personal mobile 'hotspots' that were being used by convention visitors and exhibitors who used their own data plans rather than paying Smart City substantial fees to use the company's Wi-Fi service.
RTFA:
"As part of the settlement, Smart City will cease its Wi-Fi blocking activities"
They signed a court order, if they keep doing it, it's contempt of court this time.
the first fine is a slap on the wrist, but if they continue the next fine will be substantially larger, order of magnitude larger. The FCC might only slap on the wrist for 1st offense, but they get real serious when people don't follow their direct orders.
they signed a settlement agreement in the court room, so further infractions are really "contempt of court" with immediate jail for the offenders
The day I see a corporation behind bars is the day they'll start to listen. Now, if you were to "jail" them by requiring a halt of all stock trades, impound all assets, suspend all business operations, and revoke the corporate status and protection for all holdings and subsidiaries for the length of the jail term. That would get people's attention.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
you can find this on google if you look:
Marvin Chaney, 61, founder of RoboVault, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals on January 29 on the orders of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John K. Olson for violation of court orders.
Brandon bankruptcy attorney O. Reginald Osenton commented, “This goes to show you how important it is to follow carefully a judge's instructions, no matter what type of case you are involved in.”
Olson issued the arrest order after Chaney and his attorney, Lawrence Wrenn, did not show up for a court hearing on January 17. Appearing shackled before the judge, Chaney said that Wrenn had advised him not to attend the hearing and that he had tried his best to produce the records that had been requested of him.
If you read the ARS article on this, you would see that:
"In responses to FCC investigators, Smart City later revealed it "automatically transmitted deauthentication frames to prevent Wi-Fi users whose devices produced a received signal strength above a present power level at Smart City access points from establishing or maintaining a Wi-Fi network independent of Smart City's network," according to a consent decree filed in the case."
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!