The creative class expects a free lunch

I knew it was going to come to this. Freeloading wi-fi surfers hogging up space in your favorite cafe or restaurant even when they are paying for access. How are owners coping? Has the age of the "Internet idler" met twilight?

Some wireless users sneak in their own food with their laptops. Others buy one cup of coffee at 9 a.m. and surf the Net until closing time. And the truly audacious sit for hours without making any pretense of a purchase.

In and around Boston, cafe owners who installed wireless signals to draw customers say they also are drawing Internet users who tie up seats for hours, buy little or nothing, and make coffee shops feel like the office as they tap away at their laptops. Now some owners are fighting back by charging for wireless access, shutting off their signal at peak business hours, or telling loitering laptoppers to shell out or ship out.

"There comes a time when you have to tell people, 'Look, you've been here for three hours, and you've bought only a cup of coffee and it's time to move,' " said Adam Goldberg , owner of Emack & Bolio's in Jamaica Plain. "We had points in time when people would sit for six or seven hours and not buy anything."

Goldberg, whose shop offers all-day free wireless, has tried to set time limits for customers to use the Internet. He has considered shutting off the signal during busy hours. Instead, he has chosen to keep a vigilant eye on the seating area and confront Internet idlers.

Will the owners get the upper hand? Or will government step in and require mandatory wi-fi with purchases?