i saw this article in the paper last week, it appears to have made its way onto the nycwireless mailing list. more on the ongoing saga re: putting the smack down on subs last week. ----- Forwarded message from Anthony Townsend <anthony.townsend at nyu.edu> ----- From: "Anthony Townsend" <anthony.townsend at nyu.edu> To: "NYCwireless List" <nycwireless at lists.spack.org> X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 Subject: [nycwireless] Investor's Business Daily - "Broadband Providers Begin To Crack Down On Subscribers Who Share Connections" Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 11:03:14 -0400 > Broadband Providers Begin To Crack Down On Subscribers Who Share > Connections. Some Subscribers Will Switch. Time Warner Cable and > AT&T Broadband warning against broadband sharing > > By MIKE ANGELL Investor's Business Daily, Thursday, July 25, 2002 > > What started as a hobby among Web enthusiasts now is getting harsh > looks from Internet service providers. Wireless networking > technology, sometimes called WiFi or 802.11b, was designed to make a > home DSL or cable modem connection available to anybody inside the > subscriber's house. But wireless enthusiasts are extending that > reach to include friends and neighbors who don't pay for the > connection. That's drawing the ire of broadband providers, who are > beginning to crack down on such sharing. But in doing so, ISPs risk > losing the tech-savvy customers who buy and recommend such services. > "I recommend broadband service providers to my grandparents, to my > friends, to others," said Adam Shand, founder of the Portland, > Ore.-based group Personal Telco Project. "I'm going to recommend > ISPs that work with enthusiasts, not those that go after them." > Shand uses an ISP that doesn't restrict sharing. But that's not the > policy at Time Warner Cable and AT&T Broadband. This month, Time > Warner Cable sent letters to 10 users in New York giving them three > days to stop sharing their high-speed cable modem connections with > other people. If they didn't comply, Time Warner said, it would cut > their service. Time Warner didn't say whether the users had > complied. "When you contract for high-speed access, it's for your > use in your household and not to share with neighbors," said Time > Warner spokeswoman Suzanne Giuliani. AT&T Broadband also plans to > contact users who are sharing connections. AT&T Broadband didn't say > how many such users it had identified. In both cases, subscribers to > high-speed cable modem Internet access are letting nonsubscribers > share connections through WiFi technology. Sharing, or stealing, the > service is as simple as setting up an antenna on the roof of your > house, Shand says. Up to 50 people can use one connection. The > signal can go as far as 20 miles. Time Warner found out about the > usage through Web postings on a site run by a group called > NYCWireless that offers free, mobile Internet access through WiFi. > > Giuliani says the company learned about the theft because of the > postings. "It's not like we have investigative teams roaming the > streets," Giuliani said. NYCWireless spokesman Anthony Townsend > says the group doesn't advocate breaking subscriber agreements. > Rather, members should use business Internet connections rather than > home Internet connections. Business connections usually don't > restrict the number of users. A business DSL connection can cost $ > 100 a month vs. $ 45 to $ 60 for home DSL or cable modem service. > Most NYCWireless members use smaller ISPs that don't restrict the > number of users on one connection. Townsend says Time Warner's > actions don't build good relations in the tech community. "They are > developing a very nasty relationship with people who were the first > to get broadband," Townsend said. AT&T Broadband looks for people > who post messages on online bulletin boards about the broadband > theft. They're double-checked by AT&T technicians scanning the area > around a subscriber's home for WiFi signals. Spokeswoman Sara Eder > says AT&T may begin routine checks for broadband sharing. Just as > AT&T checks neighborhoods for cable thieves, it may start random > checks for WiFi broadband sharing. "We're watching this carefully," > Eder said. "In some cases, we have trolled communities" for WiFi > signals. Eder says such broadband theft is a small portion of > bandwidth usage. NYCWireless says it has 70 New York hot spots where > people can log onto the Internet wirelessly. And Shand's Personal > Telco Project has about 50 hot spots around Portland. Giuliani says sharing > a broadband connection leaves the original subscriber vulnerable. > Anyone can find passwords, access personal accounts or use the > connection illicitly without fear of being caught. > > Copyright 2002 Investor's Business Daily, Inc. Investor's Business > Daily -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/ ----- End forwarded message ----- -- steve ulrich sulrich at botwerks.org PGP: 8D0B 0EE9 E700 A6CF ABA7 AE5F 4FD4 07C9 133B FAFC