Cable operators team up on Wi-Fi initiative

BOSTON -- Several major cable companies are teaming up on a new initiative to allow their subscribers to access Wi-Fi in so-called public hot spots even if they are in an area not served by their own local provider.

In other words, if someone is a Time Warner Cable subscriber but traveling out of a town and in a region served by Comcast Corp., they can still access free wireless by logging in with “Cable WiFi.” The catch is that you have to already be a broadband subscriber and register to use the service. Cable operators taking part in the service include Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable, Cablevision and Cox.

More and more cable companies are offering free Wi-Fi in public areas outside the home to their customers. The cable operators involved in this venture have more than 50,000 hot spots in their various footprints.

The cable giants made the announcement on the first day of the annual National Cable & Telecommunications Assn. convention being held in Boston this week.

“This effort adds great value to our high-speed Internet customers by providing free wireless Internet access on all of their Wi-Fi enabled devices in our markets and additional areas across the country,” said Nomi Bergman, president of Bright House Networks, which has systems in Florida.

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