Homeless people are turned into walking wi-fi hotspots at $2 per 15 minutes - but it's causing an outcry on Twitter



A marketing stunt where homeless people were turned into walking internet hotspots with T-shirts proclaiming 'I'm a 4G hotspot' has caused outcry in Texas.

Branding agency BBH was forced to defend its 'Homeless Hotspots' initiative after it was described as 'dystopian' - and lambasted as a 'shameful, hideous, patronising, dehumanising idea' by British brand strategist Luke Scheybeler.



The Homeless Hotspots initiative was trialled at the SXSW music and technology conference in Austin, Texas - with a suggested price of $2 per 15 minutes.



Homeless people were paid with donations to wear T-shirts saying 'I'm a 4G hotspot', offering wi-fi access to conference goers

The homeless people stood beside conference goers to provide internet via a MiFi devices (pictured) which connect to the internet via the 4G phone network and offer web access via a wi-fi network _MG_0162.jpg





The homeless people stood beside conference goers to provide internet via a MiFi devices which connect to the internet via the 4G phone network and offer web access via a wi-fi network.

The idea was spotted by a New York Times reporter, and swiftly caused outcry.

The Homeless Hotspots idea was created by a branding agency - and although profits go to charity, the idea was lambasted as vulgar.



Saneel Radia of BBH, the company which created what it describes as an 'initiative' responded to criticism via the company websites, 'Obviously, there’s an insane amount of chatter about this, which although certainly villianises us, in many ways is very good for the homeless people we’re trying to help.



A promotional video shows off one of the wi-fi vendors, Clarence, a homeless man from New Orleans who lost his house in Hurricane Katrina, and has been in financial trouble since.

'Homeless Hotspots is a charitable innovation initiative - it attempts to modernize the Street Newspaper model employed to support homeless populations,' says BBH, the branding company which created the idea.



The homeless people carried MiFi devices which allow access to the web via wi-fi, connecting to the net over the 4G mobile network. Users paid vendors such as Clarence what they thought was suitable



'As digital media proliferates, these newspapers face increased pressure. Our hope is to create a modern version of this successful model, offering homeless individuals an opportunity to sell a digital service instead of a material commodity.'

At SXSW, attendees could pay the homeless people what they liked for access - and the 'Hotspots' kept the money for themselves.



It's not clear whether the Homeless Hotspots project will have a wider launch after the technology conference.













