The Homeless Hotspots Controversy - The Right Kind of Attention?

At this point we know that "all publicity is good publicity" isn't a truism, and the web's reaction to marketing firm BBH Labs' "Homeless Hotspots" campaign is couched mostly in the negative.

Here's the gist of the project:

This year in Austin, as you wonder between locations murmuring to your coworker about how your connection sucks and you can’t download/stream/tweet/instagram/check-in, you’ll notice strategically positioned individuals wearing “Homeless Hotspot” t-shirts. These are homeless individuals in the Case Management program at Front Steps Shelter. They’re carrying MiFi devices. Introduce yourself, then log on to their 4G network via your phone or tablet for a quick high-quality connection. You pay what you want (ideally via the PayPal link on the site so we can track finances), and whatever you give goes directly to the person that just sold you access. We’re believers that providing a digital service will earn these individuals more money than a print commodity.

Aside from being seen as exploitative and crass, the project is also notable for its "pay what you want" model, which makes sense when you're trying to coax people to drop some dough for your one-man west coast black metal LP but less for an enterprise with, as far as we can tell, no bottom guarantee. Meaning: if they're going to go with such an edgy marketing strategy, we think BBH could've at least promised a set hourly rate, with a bonus for commissions.

The project is being talked up everywhere, from Pitchfork to Wired to Buzzfeed. What do you think? What would Leslie have thought? Notably, Austin Homeless advocacy group Front Steps helped develop the project.