Okay, so maybe "kills" is a bit of an exaggeration, but according to Gahtan's Technology and Internet Law Blog, some Panera Bread locations are now switching their free Wi-Fi off from 12-2pm to avoid congestion during the lunch rush.

On a purely selfish level, this is bad news for me: I'm a big fan of Panera as a place to multitask, working and eating at the same time, and that daily wireless downtime will make the place a lot less attractive for me. I'm apparently not alone in feeling this way.

But what does this change say about the free hotspot model in general?

It seems that cafes are starting to see free Wi-Fi specifically as a way to attract more customers during downtimes -- with the caveat that it can actually become an annoyance when the place is busy, with laptop users occupying tables that could otherwise be used by paying customers.

In the long run, I'm afraid, the result may be the end of the free hotspot. You can only get something for nothing for so long.