NaDrew's Journal: [r] Businesses find wireless Internet connection entices...

SFGate.com's Matthew Yi writes about how some small businesses (delis, independant coffeehouses, etc.) are providing free Wi-Fi access to their customers. "We're not charging anyone. All we're asking is to support us. If you're sitting here more than an hour, buy an extra latte or a sandwich for a friend," said Anthony Azzollini, the owner of Caffe Roma in North Beach, who installed his Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity, access point in May. On the flip side, Starbucks has taken the pay-for-service route. Starbucks has joined with T-Mobile to outfit more than 2,300 stores with Wi-Fi networks in the past year. "Starbucks isn't paying squat," said Keith Waryas, an analyst at the industry research firm IDC. "It's got the mother of all deals. T-Mobile is coming in and paying for all this." At least two major DSL service providers in the Bay Area say sharing broadband is not specifically prohibited as long as the connection is not being resold and the sharing doesn't go beyond the boundaries of that property. But Comcast has a firm policy that says customers are not allowed to distribute their connections to anyone, whether it be a neighbor or a coffee shop customer, said spokesman Andrew Johnson.