A
system and method of supporting controlled access to
multimedia information and media-related services via a
broadband access gateway is disclosed. A plurality of user manageable tiers of access privilege may be implemented by the
broadband access gateway, that may support communication using, for example, a
wireless personal area network and a
broadband network. A different degree of
user authentication and / or identification may be established for each of the tiers, and users may be restricted in their access to
multimedia information and services by their current tier of access privilege. The
multimedia information and services may be provided by a variety of access devices via the
personal area network, and from providers accessible via the broadband network connected to the gateway. Examples of access devices include mobile multimedia handsets, personal digital assistants, personal computers, digital cameras, and printers. The
multimedia information may, for example, comprise data, text, and digitized voice, images, video, and music. The tiers of access privilege may be managed via, for example, the
personal area network or from the broadband network, by a user with an access device.