WiFi legislation could reduce hotspots and public broadband access

There are concerns that new legislation with regards to public WiFi networks could result in a reduction of the number of WiFi hotspots and public broadband access across the UK.

Over recent years having public access to WiFi connections has proven invaluable to many people. Before mobile broadband became mainstream many business and casual users had been reliant on public WiFi hotspots to get them online whilst out and about, and even now when mobile broadband services have become increasingly popular and affordable many people continue to use WiFi hotspots to get online because of the faster speeds that can be achieved compared to mobile broadband.

With WiFi having become increasingly important to the Internet-reliant nation over the past few years a number of businesses and venues such as hotels, cafes, pubs, libraries, and even airports have started offering public WiFi access for consumers to benefit from. This means that there are now more places where consumers can enjoy access to the Internet even when they are away from the home of office.

However, there are now concerns that changes to legislation in relation to WiFi internet access could result in the number of WiFi hotspots available in the UK being reduced, and could even affect revenue for businesses and venues that provide free WiFi access and rely partly on this service to bring in more customers. Under the new legislation the companies that are providing the WiFi access could be held responsible for any offences that are committed by users connected to that WiFi service, such as illegal downloading.

One broadband industry expert stated: “The natural knock-on effect would be a lower desire for enterprising individuals and companies to help setup and run community wireless schemes and services. We may also see fewer Wi-Fi hotspots in general, which could impact businesses as well as ordinary people.”

Source – Xlntelecom