Building Wireless Community Networks, Second Edition

Appendix A. Regulations Affecting 802.11 Deployment

This is Tim Pozar’s paper on the implications of FCC regulations regarding 802.11 networks. The original is available online at http://www.lns.com/papers/part15/.

Disclaimer

I am not a lawyer. Do not use my presentation as an authoritative guide on how to run your life, hobby, or business. The following is my interpretation of some the laws and regulations pertaining to 802.11 networks. Although this document has been reviewed by a number of telecommunications lawyers and experts in the field,^[17] my advice may not hold up in the eyes of the the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or in a court of law. This paper’s purpose is to alert you to 802.11 deployment issues and offer some possible solutions to common regulatory problems. You may want to bring up these issues with your attorney, or research them yourself to see how they might affect you.

I am a long-time broadcast engineer and a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. I am also an active member of the Bay Area Wireless Users Group (BAWUG), so I have my foot in both the “conservative old-timer” and “excited newcomer” camps. With BAWUG, I promote the use of unlicensed spectrum to create and bridge communities. At the same time, I encourage what the FCC calls “good engineering practice” in the deployment of these networks.

As regulations change, you may want to refer to my web site (http://www.lns.com) for updates to this paper. Also, please send any comments, additions, ...