Consumer group blasts cable operators’ Wi-Fi roaming deal

Public Knowledge criticized an announcement by a group of major cable companies that their customers would now be able to access each other’s Wi-Fi hotspots, saying the decision would lessen competition.

Public Knowledge legal director Harold Feld called the move "very disappointing." Feld said the shared broadband deal argued against a proposal to allow major cable companies to sell wireless provider Verizon spectrum and cross-sell each other’s services, a plan public interest groups say would create an anticompetitive cartel. "Wi-Fi offers the opportunity for these companies to compete with wireless providers such as Verizon wireless, using Wi-Fi roaming to build a rival footprint that could offer a cheaper alternative to consumers who find their iPads and smartphones constrained by aggressive bandwidth caps," he said. "Cable companies said they need the Verizon deal because they can't compete by offering a wireless service," Feld added. "This new arrangement says they can, if they want to." Feld called on regulators to block the proposed Verizon deal. "The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Justice (DoJ) should not allow the cable operators and Verizon Wireless to choose collusion over competition simply because cable operators today offer wireless competition through their Wi-Fi footprint instead of a traditional licensed network," he said.