Wireless in Adelaide

[Richard Siggs]

[ Disclaimer: this contains diatribe "in the Spirit of Ross".
Oz ISP Owners & longterm List Readers will know what I mean :]

Fox, Michael wrote:

> I wasn't aware of that... so having a link between two friends which is
> greater then 500m and passes through/across property boundaries other then
> our own is illegal? thats a bummer


	Kinda a bummer - as while the law is L.A.W., if the ACA ever
came after the small # of hobbyists or friends in each city who are
really using wireless networking, then there's a massive abuse
happening within the ACA, as they've got _waaay_ bigger fish to fry..
[ don't get me started on that one.. >:]

	So, like Matthew mentioned, don't let idle-hands at Telcos
put you off from firing up a link!  Knowing of many ISPs that
use wireless ptp links for customers & even that legendary battle
in Qld, where the championed ACA didn't even stop blatant commercial
breaches of the Act; I don't have a problem firing up a link from
my house to someone else's house in the 'burbs to link LANs & frag
eachother or backup eachothers filesystems or share OS Repositories, etc..

	Seriously though too; there sure isn't any problem being
presented to a commercial ISP through this scale of Community Wireless
Data Networking being done in the 'burbs of Australian cities!
I mean that in the vast majority of the places where these networks
are being deployed, you couldn't get such data interconnects even through
the available metro Telcos. What's more, if one of these networks got
to the point where it did challenge an ISP or Telco's business opportunity,
I'm sure that it'd be usurped by business interests before long anyway,
without the ACA needing to bat an eyelid. (oh yes, that needs a :-)

	Let's "get real" about what's being talked about here & encourage,
rather than stifle, people to get interested in the media & plug'n'play.
Stiff Shit(tm), if they actually manage to get a few 2 or ~8meg links
going between some houses in the 'burbs. Sell 'em your 2nd hand/used
/5-yr-old Telco gear. Shout 'em a barbie, gawd knows they'd need to get
out & about.  To quote: *sheesh* :-)
Frankly, instead of trying to quell knowledge & use of wireless
networking technology, it would seem astute for these
idle hands to encourage exposure to this media, as it's these
'hobbyist' / Community activities that will spread familiarity
& demonstrate the validity of the technology more than any current
marketing budget or campaign to get business to move from wired
to unwired connectivity. Which is what's needed in the next few years
for wireless networking to prosper..  *Rich gets off his soapbox now*
[ Having experience in Wireless R&D, I know how hard it is to find
clueful people in wireless data networking, even during these
times of "high staff availability" that the Data Networking
sector of the IT Industry is going through. Hopefully mNet
(www.mnetcorporation.com) could help that situation,
in Adelaide at the very least.. :]

	Finally, I was "warned" about speaking up regarding
Community Wireless Networking in Adelaide, lest it raise the ire
of local wireless-spruking Telcos in Adelaide. (point proven ;-)

Link Up,
Richard.
--
Richard Siggs / 0414 882 225 / rls at powerband.net.au
"They attack without provocation.. Animals! No Mercy. Persue them
to their bases. Kill them All! No Mercy, No Mercy!" - Delenn, B5.
- babylon5.warnerbros.com

>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: Jamz D. Boman [mailto:jamzb at staff.airnet.com.au]
>>Sent: Friday, January 04, 2002 3:33 PM
>>To: wireless list.
>>Subject: RE: Wireless in Adelaide
>>
>>
>>Guys,
>>	Remember if you are not a licensed telecommunications carrier,
>>you should be careful not to violate the ACA no longer than 500 metre
>>rule, and not cross any property boundaries... or not get caught.
>>
>>This is why most grass roots free user-maintained networks 
>>don't get off
>>the ground, because they discover that its illegal.
>>
>>http://www.aca.gov.au/index/default.htm