[AusNOG] Google creepier than Conroy?

[Mark Newton]

On 02/06/2010, at 7:19 AM, Noel Butler wrote:

if you provide internet access that crosses the boundary of your property, you need one, be it charged or non charged access.

Err, no.  That's never been the case.

Doing that will likely make you a carriage service provider, but that doesn't
require a carrier license if the carriage services you're using to provide the
service are themselves operated by licensed carriers.

In the case of a WiFi access point, the connectivity into the AP's building
would be supplied by licensed carriers, and the AP itself is customer equipment
(sec 21 of the Telecommunications Act 1997).

Sec 36 defines "distinct places", and 36(2) does so by reference to property
boundaries.  A line link which crosses a property boundary is probably
connecting two "distinct places."

Sec 26 has the threshold that determines whether or not a line link connecting
"distinct places" is a "network unit" for the purpose of the Act.  The statutory
distance is 500m.

If you can find me a WiFi public access point with a range greater than 500m,
I'll concede the point.  In my experience they're down to one bar of signal by
the time you get next door.

(I was an early member of bris mesh, much debate about offering access to the net as is being mentioned here, the committee at the time went through all the legal angles and were told this.

You were probably intending to use long-range WiFi with high-gain antenae
to hop from place to place.  If any of those shots were greater than 500m
you'd need your carrier license.

Public WiFi operators don't do that.  They get from place to place with
(say) ADSL, and the RF part is limited to the immediate environment of the
AP, with its standard as-manufactured antenna and range.

  - mark


--
Mark Newton                               Email:  newton at internode.com.au<mailto:newton at internode.com.au> (W)
Network Engineer                          Email:  newton at atdot.dotat.org<mailto:newton at atdot.dotat.org>  (H)
Internode Pty Ltd                         Desk:   +61-8-82282999
"Network Man" - Anagram of "Mark Newton"  Mobile: +61-416-202-223





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