Wow. I guess the title really is right.
When I participated in the debates about who was a WISP, and who could join
WISPA, we were very broad, and included community networks, free networks,
big and small operators.. including the guy who is just a "hobby" type
network operator, but provides connection to his small town, community,
neighborhood, or even just block.
Now we've decided that the only people who "count" are the big guys. The
"professionals"? A "few hundred"? I know that lots of people didn't file
477 so that they could hide when the next thing came out... And it was no
time at all. What will happen when the next mandate comes? Will you
start referencing the "scores" of WISP's? After the next one will it be
the "dozens"?
Marlon thinks there's 10,000 of us.
I think there's 20K of us, including all the wide array of informal, hobby,
free, or otherwise not set up an advertised for profit ISP. So, we just
toss all them to the wolves to feed on first, before they get to us? You
KNOW that the vast majority of these things are theoretically covered by
CALEA, but will never file a single thing, won't have any ability to assist
law enforcement, and will continue operating under the radar, possibly
getting destroyed one by one as circumstances bring them to light.
So, you think that the FCC is going OUTLAW delivering internet via wireless
because we discuss tactics about how to get them to face reality? I don't
advocate lying to anyone. If you can, by george, file you can. But for the
rest of us.. File you can't. And I'd encourage EVERY ONE OF THOSE 15-20K
network operators to do the same. Create the logjam that teaches
regulators when they've done wrong. This is the most basic tenet of
democracy I can think of. There is no "holiness" to the government or to
law they write. It does not come from God to them to us. All are subject
to negotiation and resistance by the governed.
I WILL DO JUST THAT, because I can't without changing my network. But,
I'll just be offering my "farewell" email to the list soon UNLESS we stick
together, and unless WISPA and everyone else starts telling them to back off
and that the vast majority of operators actually cannot reasonably comply.
As far as I can tell, the only informal WISPA communication was that we can!
And if they shut me down... what will WISPA's stance be? "oh, he was a
renegade?" That looks like what you all want to do. AT least the public
list won't be cluttered with noise about trying to save the WISP industry
from exinction. Sheesh. Who cares about that radical issue?
I have written over and over and over that this isn't about me, nor my views
on the right or wrong... but about our industry and DEFENDING IT. And it
appears the biggest fight WISPA wants to have is the one to shut up those
who want to save their own skin, plus that of their fellow intrepid
operators.
I would encourage you to sit down and read the last FCC published document
on the topic of CALEA. You need to understand that what we are supposedly
working on as "compliance" is not fixed AT ALL. Just becoming presently
"compliant" is not a gauranteed long term or future solution. The FCC
reserves the right to mandate PRECISELY what we are doing, and even in the
future to demand certification of the equipment we use. They are resisting
that now, but but as history shows and the fact that they're trying to force
CALEA compliance on us, that they're as bendable as a willow in the wind.
This is not, as some people are attempting to portray it a "minor, one time
bump in the road". It's going to get bigger and it's going to continue to
be a source of heartburn even for those who can comply now.
All of this is a "trial run" (my words, not theirs) to see how well it
works. If the results...after we re-build, restructure, or in some cases,
do very little... aren't satisfactory, they can revisit and impose HUGE
mandates that would bury pretty much every WISP except perhaps a few of the
multi-million dollar ones. And that "revisit" is not determined by the
FCC's opinion, it's going to be in consultation with the DOJ and FBI, who
wanted MUCH more, and may very well get MUCH more, unless we start making
the case this is bad law, policy, and the wrong approach.
We cannot consider CALEA issues dealt with and just go back to business as
usual, because the deadline passes and we have something that "works" under
the guidelines. I predict that the deadline will pass and only those who
have a c ontract with a TTP and a couple of router manufacturers will
actually have full compliance. That will be only some of the "hundreds"
we're talking about right now. I further predict that in a year or two,
further mandates about CALEA will come along. These will be mandates on
equipment providers. And they will be attempting to explain how CALEA
compliance will occur using what they sell. We'll see most of what's out
there vanish almost overnight, with only a few remaining major players.
When you read through everything, you find out that they're being very very
flexible right now, since they're not even able to figure out how to apply
telco terms and law to packet based networks. But they still reserve the
right to impose their own definitions of a huge array of terms, and just
those redefinitions could be HUGE obstacles to some of us.
SOME of you actually like the idea of having only big players, but if that's
what happens, then the only people in the wireless business will be the big
boys and all the rest will be dead and off flipping burgers or whatever it
is we can do.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dawn DiPietro" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:43 AM
Subject: Re: [WISPA] LEMMINGS?
Mark,
At this point you are beating a dead horse. We know how you feel about
the government and following the laws put in place for your protection.
But to be honest with you this is getting old.
We need to change the focus of this conversation on how to comply with
these rules not how much we should disregard them. I doubt civil
disobedience will work in this case not with the small
number of WISP's we are talking about here. If this type of discussion
keeps this up the FCC could just regulate the WISP industry out of
existence. I doubt that is what your end goal is.
Regards,
Dawn DiPietro
Mark Koskenmaki wrote:
I think Steve's point was to contrast Patrick Henry's determination with
some people's attitude that resistance is futile.
Frankly, I think EVERY WISP should file that they are NOT compliant and
have
no prospect of being. The FCC would simply be snowed under attempting
to
deal with HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS of individual cases and would end up
having
to make some kind of change in the way they do business.
I don't know how many people work there, but for them to adequately deal
with 500, 1000, or even 10,000 "cannot comply" filings, well, I KNOW
they
can't. This would force changes in the way they expect to deal with
such
a diverse and LARGE group. They're used to regulating industries with
a
handful of players. For them to take on regulating an industry with
more
operators than telephone companies, radio stations, and cell phone
operators
combined is a challenge far beyond what I think they had any inkling
they
would be required to do.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeromie Reeves" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 11:15 AM
Subject: Re: [WISPA] LEMMINGS?
On 4/26/07, George Rogato <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Jeromie Reeves wrote:
On 4/19/07, Steve <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
as Patrick Henry once said
"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated."
Who is Patrick Henry??
Didn't Patrick Henry say Give me liberty or give me death?
Yes he did. Your chopping off my sarcasm tag misrepresents my words.
The quote in my email was also by Patrick Henry. Steve attributed
"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated." to Mr. Henry but I do
not remember him ever saying it (course I was a bit young back in the
1700's and my memory is not what it once was.).
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