> How can they distinguish an 'interconnection'? I thought that the access
> point acted as a dhcp server and assigned connections as a 'private'
> subnet.
They started with stuff that was freely advertised on the net...but if they saw it as a problem they could resort to other methods, including "war-driving"
http://news.com.com/2100-1033-942323.html?tag=fd_lede
Cable companies cracking down on Wi-Fi
Time Warner Cable of New York City has given 10 customers less than a week to stop using their accounts to provide a wireless local area network available to anyone within 300 feet. The letters are just an initial volley; Time Warner expects to send additional letters, while AT&T Broadband also is preparing similar letters for some of its customers.
[...]
For now, Time Warner Cable and AT&T Broadband appear to be targeting people whose locations are advertised by grassroots groups like NYCwireless and San Francisco's Bay Area Wireless Users Group, which identify and share information online about hot spots.
"They waived a banner in our faces and said, 'Look what we're doing!'" said Suzanne Giuliani, a spokeswoman for Time Warner Cable of New York City. The company wasn't actively looking for violators, she said, but only reacted when someone pointed out the NYCwireless Web site to them.