Homeless Hotspot plan 'to be axed' after ad agency backs away from plan to use real people as walking wi-fi zones

The New York advertising agency behind a plan to use homeless people as walking wi-fi hotspots has been forced to back off the controversial plan.

The Homeless Hotspots initiative was trialled at the SXSW music and technology conference in Austin, Texas using homeless people wearing T-shirts that said, 'I'm a 4G Hotspot' - with a suggested price of $2 per 15 minutes.

'We have no definite, specific future plans yet, in New York City or elsewhere. This was an initial trial program,' said Emma Cookson, chairman of BBH New York. 'We are now listening carefully to the high level of feedback.'

'We are trying to learn and respond, and we will then consider what is appropriate to do next,' said Cookson in an interview with the New York Post. Read More