Spanish startup Whisher promises to bring free Wi-Fi to all by using existing residential Wi-Fi networks. The Barcelona company is backed by Swiss phone company Swisscom and venture firm Benchmark Capital, CNET reports.

Whisher is offering a free beta version of its software, which it says will give users a Wi-Fi connection to existing Wi-Fi networks. The snag to potentially bringing free Wi-Fi to the U.S. is that doing so in that manner is illegal here. Broadband users are not allowed to share their connections outside of their dwellings, and violators are subject to legal action.

Cases of broadband providers' pursuing action against users who share their connection are rare - if only because there are very few instances of such sharing. If services such as Whisher's become more popular, however, broadband providers may have to re-examine their policies.

"Either you believe in the user-generated revolution, or you believe ISPs rule the world," said Whisher cofounder and CEO Ferran Moreno.