oh no, not another effing analogy

But here it is:

If I choose to purchase apples from the local greengrocer and stick a percentage of those on the roadside with a sign saying "Help Yourself" then people are permitted to do so. If I choose to pay for broadband and then broadcast access to said broadband out to whoever happens to be passing though, then people are permitted to help themselves as well.

If a law is passed forbidding me to give away apples I have purchased at my gate and I persist in doing so, then it's my responsibility if I continue to do so and people take them. If the ToS I have agreed to in signing up with my Telco says I must not share WiFi access out to the public and I do so, then that likewise is my responsibility.

Running Windows is like said passer-by having a 1-year-old in tow who sees the shiny red apples and can't resist helping him/herself, but that's OK because I left them there to be taken. Like windows helping itself to any open wifi connection...

Frankly, I don't know what the Telcos are moaning about - I pay $x for an agreed service and if I exceed the cap I pay extra to cover it. If passing people piggy-back of a connection I have made public, they are doing so on MY DIME with MY PERMISSION. They're not "stealing" it as I HAVE PAID FOR IT.

Honestly, it's not like more bandwidth is used than is being paid for. If I elect not to secure my access point then I'm inviting people to use my connection.