Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Spanish start-up Whisher promises free Wi-Fi for all - USATODAY.com

Spanish start-up Whisher promises free Wi-Fi for all - USATODAY.com: "'Either you believe in the user-generated revolution or you believe ISPs rule the world,' said Ferran Moreno, co-founder and CEO of Whisher. 'I believe ISPs don't rule the world and how the Internet works. If I am paying for my broadband, I have the right to share it with other people, as long as I am not reselling the service. And we are not reselling access.'

Of course, there is one small snag in Moreno's utopian view of free Wi-Fi for everyone. In the U.S., it's illegal.

'Sharing broadband access outside of your dwelling is a violation of our subscriber agreement,' said Maureen Huff, a spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable, the second largest cable operator in the U.S. 'We've taken steps as a company to inform our customers that passive or active theft of our services is illegal, and people who violate these agreements can be prosecuted on a criminal and civil basis.'"

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