The crackdown probably won't affect the robust cottage industry of so-called "wireless Internet service providers" (WISPs) that began sprouting last year. WISPs, including Joltage and Boingo, are stitching together a nationwide network of hot spots. WISPs are for-profit concerns, though, charging for daily or monthly access to any of their locations. So far, WISPs haven't reported any problems or threats from cable or broadband providers. Most partner with broadband providers with more relaxed policies about sharing bandwidth, then offer those services to new network members at reduced prices. For example, Web provider EarthLink sells Wi-Fi access though a deal it has with Boingo. About 70 percent of Boingo's hot spots use the high-priced broadband services generally offered to businesses, premium subscriptions crafted to serve offices with hundreds of people on a single computer network. As a result, the sharing bandwidth policies are more relaxed, said Boingo spokesman Christian Gunning. Joltage has a deal with Atlas Broadband, a reseller of broadband services. Joltage Chief Executive Michael Chaplo said new Joltage members are always told that their broadband provider must allow sharing of the bandwidth. If not, he said, Atlas Broadband services are offered to them as an alternative. But that isn't stopping new hot spots from using any provider they want, Chaplo said. "We can't enforce our policy or guarantee it," he said. "But obviously we've got the answer; it's Atlas." It's not clear if the high-speed Internet access providers will eventually turn their attention to more established companies that provide Wi-Fi access, such as airports and hotels. Last week, the Fairmont Hotel chain announced that all 38 of its hotels in six countries now offer wireless access in all public areas of the hotels. Depending on their arrangement with providers, some hotels may have problems. Most hotels using wireless networks also have the more expensive commercial DSL services, which have limited or no shared-use policies, according to Mike Henderson, marketing director of StayOnline, which sells wired and wireless equipment to the hospitality industry. "I've seen guys taking a regular cable modem and some equipment from (Wi-Fi maker) D-Link and stringing it up in their lobby just to say they have it," he said. "Those guys are the ones that will be in trouble." For the average customer looking for free access, it's getting easier all the time to find hot spots. Aside from checking the grassroots sites, there is sniffer software, usually free, that tells a Wi-Fi card in a laptop or PDA (personal digital assistant) to search for the nearest network. A more low-tech approach that has caught fire in Europe is called "warchalking," where people chalk symbols on a sidewalk or building to indicate a nearby hot spot. A simple solution to companies cracking down on shared access could be for Wi-Fi fans to vote with their wallets -- and pick a high-speed Internet access provider that allows for Wi-Fi use, such as Covad or any of the smaller Web providers that have already approved Wi-Fi use, proponents say. Adam Shand of the Personal Telco Project in Portland, Ore., said he's negotiated agreements with two small Web providers in the Portland area. "Some ISPs say, 'What, are you crazy?'" he said. "Others, say, 'Why not? If it causes a problem, we'll let you know.'"
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