Are Coffee Shop Wireless Squatters Becoming Epidemic?

Behold, the Wi-Fi wars! No, this is not users vs. hackers again, but rather users vs. coffee shops, who are sick of people buying a cheap cup of java, then squatting all day long as they use the free wireless access so common in America's coffee-serving establishments.

The problem has gotten so severe in some places that owners have had to monitor who's spending a little too much time in the shop, have had to limit service hours (no Wi-Fi during the lunch rush, for example), or in extreme cases, have terminated wireless access altogether.

A great anecdote from the (linked) Boston.com story: In Davis Square, Diesel Cafe charges for wireless -- about $14 a month -- but co-owner Jen Park said she also confronts customers who are not buying food. Perhaps the worst offenders are the people who buy coffee at the Starbucks across Elm Street, then head for the comfortable red booths at Diesel with their Starbucks cup in hand, she said. I don't think I could ever muster the chutzpah to pull a stunt like that.

What's the solution here? Even paid access seems rife with abuse, at least for those establishments who offer monthly plans, but terminating access does a disservice both to the user and, ostensibly, to the store. The whole idea with free Wi-Fi was that greater foot traffic would lead to increased food and beverage sales. And what about the customers who don't abuse the service?

Have you been a long-term Wi-Fi squatter, or bummed a wireless signal without paying for it? Tell the shrink on duty: How does that make you feel? But seriously, I'm interested in novel solutions to what is becoming a truly tricky problem. Post away!