Be careful when you’re hooking up to a wireless connection that is not your own. The state of Maryland is on to your little game.

Slashdot.com reports that the General Assembly is considering a bill that would punish people who knowingly surf the Web on someone else’s dime.

I thought this was already technically illegal, but this bill would impose a penalty of up to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to $1,000.

The Hagerstown Herald-Mail reported that the bill’s sponsor, Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr, intended it to clarify accidental versus intentional use.

I’ll keep my eye on this, but I wonder how many people are guilty of the practice. I know I tried it in college. But what’s the harm really? Bandwidth is valuable, but couldn’t this be dealt with by blocking access with a password?