Utah Transit Offers Free Wireless With Restrictions to Online Gambling

June 16, 2009 - Written by Glen

The Utah Transit authority has placed free wireless Internet in some cities, but now they are trying to police what sites people are allowed to access. Fines are being proposed, and should they actually be instated those visiting a site that has anything to do with online gambling, or indeed anything the State deems inappropriate, will be subject to a fine.

Utah's Transit Authority has already imposed a filter that would block sites that are against their policy, but not all sites have been filtered out. Most notably, pornographic websites and similar repositories of smut and filth have been blocked through Utah's filtering agent. Online gambling sites are next to be removed. The problem with the filter is that it does not work perfectly, so the fines are in place to act as a preventative measure.

Some argue that this limit on personal freedom is unjust, as many have before, but the State claims they are doing this to protect the children. Those riding the network will be subject to adhering to a Terms of Service agreement. This includes the blocking of certain websites.

Neutral sites, such as the site of a major sports broadcasting channel, occasionally offer faux gambling options to their visitors. While these may not necessarily have anything to do with money, viz. a sweepstakes, this could be potentially misconstrued by a Transit Authority member and subsequently lead to the fining of an otherwise innocent citizen.

The fines will be relatively significant in terms of cash quantity. The first offence, should this ordinance pass, will be $300 dollars. Each proceeding infraction will incur a $500 dollar fee. Transit police will be required to hand out citations upon the observation of such law breakers.