Technical support informed me that:
The hotspot/tethering feature on the L9 doesn't work and LG will issue an update at some future date. No date on the update is available.
First, this phone was shipped with no activation code. I had to order an activation kit and all this took 16 days. Only after activation did I discover the hotspot/tethering bug. The return period for phones purchased online is 20 days.