Earlier this week, I dissed AT&T for not giving its iPhone subscribers free access at all its Wi-Fi hotspots--soon to include all U.S.-based Starbucks. Apparently they were listening (and I'm happy to take all the credit). Wi-Fi Networking News and Ars Technica are reporting rumors that iPhone users with AT&T phone accounts in good standing can get free, unfettered access to all the Wi-Fi they can handle. So far this has show up at some Starbucks (not all of which are even switched from T-Mobile to AT&T yet). Hopefully it will be true at other chains with AT&T hotspots, including Barnes & Noble, UPS Stores, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, to name a few, as well as extend to McDonald's eventually--Wayport runs those hotspots, and also manages all AT&T hotspots. Even just at Starbucks, this is a step in the right direction.

MacRumors says that since the iPhone User Agent to required to log in, which can be faked on laptops (at least on Mac OS laptops with Safari), iPhone users who prefer to surf hotspots with their laptop could also take advantage.