Marriott Un-Blocks Wi-Fi, Promises To Behave

After being scolded by the FCC for blocking Wi-Fi signals inside their own hotels, the Marriott International have responded with a begrudging agreement. In addition to Marriott Rewards members receiving free Wi-Fi starting on the 15th of this month (earlier this month, that is), the Marriott will no longer block Wi-Fi signals from 3rd party sources. This means that if you bring your own smartphone and want to tether to it, you're now free to do so. You weren't allowed to connect with your own devices as recent as January of this year.

You could try to tether, that is to say – you wouldn't have much luck inside a Marriott hotel. They'd been blocking Wi-Fi signals that weren't their own, and the FCC didn't much like that fact once they discovered the obviousness of the truth.

"Marriott International has decided to withdraw as a party to the petition seeking direction from the FCC on legal Wi-Fi security measures," said Bruce Hoffmeister, Global Chief Information Officer, Marriott International. "Our intent was to protect personal data in Wi-Fi hotspots for large conferences. We thought we were doing the right thing asking the FCC to provide guidance, but the FCC has indicated its opposition."

Instead, as Hoffmeister suggests, Marriott hotels "will not block Wi-Fi signals at any hotel [they] manage for any reason."

Instead of blocking Wi-Fi signals, the Marriott will be "doing everything [they] can to promote [their] customers' connectivity using mobile and other devices."

Have a peek at the timeline below to gain additional insight into the nature of this epic series of events. Marriott hasn't had the best public relations-based luck when it comes to Wi-Fi handling in their hotels for several years now – and this MIGHT be the end of it.