Is it Time for Government Regulation of Hotel WiFi?

Tim Converse thinks it's time we get serious about the Internet access claims made by hotels"

Hotel wifi - there oughta be a law!

"Case in point: hotel wifi. What kind of internet access do you have? we ask brightly. Wireless internet in all the rooms! they say brightly. Then you arrive, and begin to dimly realize that the real situation is some small underpowered wireless router hidden behind the boilers in the sub-basement of your 10-story hotel. And as long as they have one of those, somewhere, that's powered up some of the time, they can say that, can't they?

Clearly it's past time for a Federal Bureau of Wireless Quality Inspection, complete with unsmiling G-man trenchcoat types impersonating laptop-toting guests, and their black-jumpsuited tech experts in wardrive vans monitoring signal strength to the microbar. Just think of the restauranteur's fear of the Health Inspector (in the U.S.) or the Guide Michelin reviewer (in France) and you'll see where I think we need to go with this."

As much as I enjoy hearing the "Welcome to LodgeNet" jingle when I turn on hotel TVs, the hotels that will consistenly win my business are the ones that consistently provide reliable WiFi. Will it take government regulation, as Converse suggests, to hold hotels acountable for the quality of their WiFi? Or will Expedia create a WiFi reporting and filtering system that allows consumers to share their WiFi experiences and rank hotels based on this important metric.

Useable WiFi is number one. Secured WiFi is number two. I can't believe that ALL top hotels make you pay, and still broadcast your identities, passwords, and emails without encryption.

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