I'm always amazed and never surprised at the level of uncertainty surrounding technology particularly in Higher Ed.
I read this as jamming is a problem if we are causing malfunction of 2.4GHz or 5GHz devices which are non-WiFi devices or Wi-Fi devices not attached to our private network. Since we are allowed to restrict connection of any devices to our network I read that as we are allowed to jam such devices if connected to our network. Mike -- Michael Ruiz Network and Enterprise Systems Engineer Hobart and William Smith Colleges Information Technology P 315-781-3711 F 315-781-3409 - HWS Faculty, Staff, Students and Alums Can purchase technology online and with an HWS DISCOUNT! http://www.cdwg.com/hws -----Original Message----- From: 802.11 wireless issues listserv [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Philippe Hanset Sent: Monday, March 07, 2005 9:32 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] 802 Jamming & the FCC: That might be correct for Rogue APs connected to your infrastructure. Our main source of annoyance these days are Ad-Hoc networks. Those don't plug to the network but create a lot of RADIO hassles. Jamming might help in that case. How is jamming define though...Part 15 says (read the back of an AP) 1) "this device may not cause harmful interference AND 2) "this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation (this warning is supposed to be posted on any Part15 device) I read: by jamming, I'm doing a beneficial interference to a larger group (sort of the Eminent Domain of the spectrum!) Philippe On Mon, 7 Mar 2005, Seruya, Stewart wrote: > If it's true that jamming is not allowed, let's not forget that > ultimately students and faculty plug their wireless APs into the > University network. The university still retains the right to not > permit these APs to connect to the network, making them useless. Am I > correct? > > Stewart > > > -----Original Message----- > From: 802.11 wireless issues listserv > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sascha Meinrath > Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2005 1:48 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] 802 Jamming & the FCC: > > Hi everyone, > > It's interesting to see some EDUCAUSE member institutions are already > having problems with Meru-type equipment and the FCC. All I can say is > that the FCC is making it increasingly clear that jamming of devices > within unlicensed spectrum will not be allowed. In fact, I had raised > this concern at the Tempe Summit since it seemed fairly clear at that > time > that "unlicensed" frequencies were specifically set up to allow _all_ > devices to operate on those bands. > > On February 10th the FCC Wireless Broadband Access Task Force stated the > following statement: > > From: http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-256694A1.doc > > "Building upon the FCC's actions to date, the Task Force recommended > various steps the Commission could take -- relating to delivery of > services through both unlicensed and licensed operations -- to spur > wireless broadband deployment across the United States... Facilitate > reporting of violations of technical rules for license-exempt spectrum > (e.g., improper power boosting and jamming) to ensure level playing > field > and minimize impermissible interference" > > My reading of this is that universities that use jamming technologies as > the basis for their networks will probably end up getting themselves > into > quite a bit of trouble down the road. While schools may be able to ban > some RF devices, banning devices using unlicensed spectrum will most > likely not be allowed. > > Finally, with Personal Area Networks only a few years away (this week's > Ultra-Wideband working group merger is just one sign of this) -- > portable > unlicensed devices are only a couple years away. And jamming these > devices may get you into hot water with freedom of speech and 4th > ammendment concerns. Thus, I would strongly recommend that universities > think very carefully before utilizing networks of that require the > jamming > of other unlicensed devices. > > --Sascha > > -- > Sascha Meinrath > President * Project Coordinator * Policy Analyst > Acorn Worker Collective *** CU Wireless Network *** Free Press > www.acorncollective.com * www.cuwireless.net * > www.freepress.net > > > > Date: Sat, 5 Mar 2005 09:33:58 -0600 > > From: Frank Bulk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Subject: Re: Wireless lan equipment for instruction > > > > The FCC has made it clear that schools retain the right to ban certain > > RF devices on their campus, unless the room is leased to the student. > > > > This issue was recently brought to the forefront when some airports > > started banning airlines and other retail vendors from providing their > > own access points and requiring their tenants to use the landlord's > > equipment. In reaction to this, the FCC put out this order: > > http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-04-1844A1.pdf > > > > Of course, schools were concerned that this would restrict their > ability > > to provide a reasonable computing environment for their students. > > ACUTA sought clarification on the this earlier ruling: > > http://www.acuta.org/relation/downloadfile.cfm?docnum=964 Look on page > > 2. > > > > The support for the FCC's response was based on this ruling: > > http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Cable/Orders/1998/fcc98273.pdf Look at > > footnote 73 found on page 16: "On the current record, we decline to > > extend the protections of our Section 207 rules to college > dormitories. > > Purdue University argues that college housing is unique and, as such, > > should be exempt from our rules. Purdue Comments at 4. No one > responded > > to Purdue's comments, and because no one has shown that a university > has > > the same relationship to a dormitory resident as a landlord to a > tenant, > > that a dormitory room is a leasehold, that landlord-tenant law applies > > equally to dormitories, or that the practical problems associated with > > extending our rules to leaseholds can be similarly resolved with > respect > > to dormitories, we have no basis to cover college dormitories by our > > Section 207 rules at this time. Where, however, the relationship > between > > a university and a viewer bears sufficient attributes of a commercial > > landlord-tenant relationship (e.g., where a university leases a single > > family home to a faculty member), our Section 207 rules will apply." > > > > A better overview to the whole issue can be found here: > > http://counselonline.cua.edu/ > > > > To sum things up, if students are not leasing their dorm rooms in a > > tenant-landlord kind of relationship, schools are free to control the > RF > > on their own campus. > > > > But I don't know what the law is in Canada.... > > > > Frank > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: 802.11 wireless issues listserv > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jonn Martell > > Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 6:38 PM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: [WIRELESS-LAN] Wireless lan equipment for instruction > > > > The RF policy is an interesting one. > > > > If the federal laws allow the speed limit to be 55 MPH, or your city > as a > > limit of 25 MPH does that mean that your institution won't restrict > speed to > > something lower on campus? > > > > It seems to me that imposing something outside the institution would > be > > difficult but land owners tend to have a higher ability to be more > > restrictive. > > > > Wish us luck, we have such a policy in front of our legal council. > > > > ... Jonn Martell, UBC Wireless, [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Ruiz, Mike wrote: > > > >> We have chose Meru networks as our wireless vendor. That provides us > >> with the ability to keep our production network all on one channel. > >> Combining that with the ability to suppress rogue AP's and do access > >> control at the wired ports using our Enterasys Secure Network > >> technology we don't have much of an issue with Faculty teaching labs. > >> They are generally quite willing to work with us to make sure any > >> impacts are minimal. The concern we have is faculty setting up rogue > >> AP's in areas where we don't yet provide wireless. > >> > >> Interestingly enough when we were drafting our AUP I suggested > >> including language to keep IT in "control" of RF on campus but legal > >> counsel shot that down. They informed us that while we can tell > >> students they cannot connect wireless to our network we cannot > restrict > >> them from using federally open bands. > >> > >> Mike > >> > >> -- > >> Michael Ruiz > >> Network and Enterprise Systems Engineer Hobart and William Smith > >> Colleges Information Technology P 315-781-3711 F 315-781-3409 > >> - > >> HWS Faculty, Staff, Students and Alums > >> Can purchase technology online and with an HWS DISCOUNT! > >> http://www.cdwg.com/hws > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: 802.11 wireless issues listserv > >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Paul Grieggs > >> Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 10:18 AM > >> To: [email protected] > >> Subject: [WIRELESS-LAN] Wireless lan equipment for instruction > >> > >> Our campus wireless policy reserves the 2.4GHz bands for our > production > >> wireless network. In situations where our professors want to teach > >> about wireless networks, we have been using 802.11a equipment to > >> isolate the wireless teaching labs. With the dual-band chip sets, it > >> is getting hard to find 802.11a only equipment. Most new equipment > >> that supports 802.11a can also do 802.11g. Currently, we cannot find > >> 802.11a only PCI cards. We expect we will not be able to find > 802.11a > >> only Access Points and PC Cards in the near future. > >> > >> Short of building RF shielded labs, how are others supporting > >> instruction about wireless networks without damaging production > >> wireless networks? > >> > >> ========== > >> Paul Grieggs > >> Technical Services Manager > >> Indiana University of PA > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ********** > Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent > Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. > > ********** > Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. > ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/. ********** Participation and subscription information for this EDUCAUSE Constituent Group discussion list can be found at http://www.educause.edu/groups/.
