To whom it may concern, In August 2007, the Canadian branch of Starbucks switched to Bell from Videotron to provide wireless internet access at locations throughout Canada. While access to Videotron\'s wireless network was free, Bell charges for access to their hotspots, and as such, a free and stable wireless service has been discontinued at most Starbucks locations. This has become a widespread inconvenience and frustration for many Starbucks customers that use wireless technology. Most choose not to pay for the wireless access provided by Bell and prefer connecting to unsecured wireless networks which can be found almost anywhere nowadays, making Starbucks\' business move presumably unprofitable. This is reinforced by the fact that most of Starbucks\' internet users did nothing more than check their email, and when they came in to do so, they usually bought a beverage. Starbucks has lost this group of customers. Students are particularly hurt by this business decision since they generally do not have the funds to allow themselves yet another monthly expense. As such, they can no longer come in and do their research in a relaxed atmosphere and will choose to go elsewhere. Ultimately, though, it is surprising that a chain as vast as Starbucks chooses to charge for their wireless internet when so many other places offer it for free. As a regular Starbucks customer, I find it is a slap in the face; they have already established a monopoly in their sector. This is just getting greedy. Sincerely, The Undersigned,

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