Turns out, covering the first presidential debate isn’t a priceless experience after all.
Journalists reporting on the highly anticipated showdown between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump at Hofstra University on Long Island were asked to pay $200 to connect to Wi-Fi, several outlets reported.
According to Hofstra’s rate sheet, the pricey connection fee — just one of the things they charged for — will cover “the reasonable costs of the rental of products, services and/or other items” which also include cameras and furniture.
Technicians patrolling #debatenight press file using this device to detect & shut down hotspots, so they can sell $200 wifi accounts instead pic.twitter.com/JzbkzlZR1g
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) September 26, 2016
And anyone attempting to beat the fee by connecting via personal hotspot were at risk of being caught and shut down by sleuthing debate workers.
“Technicians patrolling #debatenight press file using this device to detect & shut down hotspots, so they can sell $200 wifi accounts instead,” tweeted Politico reporter Kenneth Vogel, along with a photo of a signal-tracking device.
Vogel also told Gizmodo that any people who do not comply will have their credentials revoked.
The gouging may have been a moot point, since the pricey Wi-Fi connection was reported to be down less than an hour before the debate was to begin.
Other media-specific fees included $75 for a “Media Filing Center Seat,” with no internet access and $325 for “Ethernet Access & Media Filing.”
If Trump or Clinton planned to fire off a tweetstorm or perhaps conduct state business via mobile phone from the stage, they were going to pay dearly for the privilege.
