Slashdot Mirror
FCC Rule Cuts Bandwidth For 72-Mile 802.11b
sonamchauhan writes "This Computerworld article reported a 72-mile 802.11b wireless link (discussed in
this Slashdot story). Now a Computerworld followup story is reporting the link power has been reduced by 75% to comply with FCC regulations for the 2.4-GHz band -- reducing the link's throughput from 1 Mbps to 300 Kbps. The owner is reported saying that: "any violation of the power limits was unintentional and resulted from the fact that the personnel working [on it] primarily have expertise in computers and not radio technology.""
To all the people that flamed me in the previous story for pointing out they were likely violating FCC regs, bite me.
People just couldn't fathom that college professors might not know what they are doing. Credentialism at it's worst.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
For that type of data, I would imagine that the reduced bandwidth will be just fine.
Sex - Find It
The government doesn't "own" the radio spectrum; it regulates it.
In theory, the government's power to control the "airwaves" was granted by the people, by way of their elected representatives--you and me, that is (or in this case, our parents and grandparents). In practice, of course, giving and taking power from the government is much more complicated and frustrating.
The reasons for having a regulatory body for the radio spectrum should be obvious. The best reason I can think of offhand is airplanes. Airplanes rely heavily on communication via radio waves for safe and accurate travel. If there is no regulation (which might be though of as standards + enforcement), then no airplane can know with any certainty any of the important information:
What band to use to communicate with air traffic control?
What band to use to communicate with guidance beacons?
What band to use to communicate in an emergency?
Assuming you've got a good idea of which band to use, how can you guarantee that any of these bands will be available?
Will the guidance beacon band be overridden by a nearby private transmitter?
Will pranksters or malefactors transmit false traffic control instructions over the air traffic control band?
Will high-powered transmissions from nearby (unregulated) transmitters inadvertently disrupt the plane's avionics during takeoff or landing?
Without standards that everybody agrees on, and without proper enforcement of these standards, air travel would involve crashing planes into buildings on a regular basis. And that's just one of the many reasons why regulation is a good thing.
Transmittors who think that regulation is an "opt-in" thing, and that they're somehow entitled to ignore it if they want to, ruin it for everybody else. Every use of the radio spectrum that you enjoy in your daily life is made possible by regulation. It's why your cellphone doesn't pick up Mexican radio stations. It's why your radio-dispatched taxi arrives on time to pick you up. It's why your satellite TV gives you a clear image, without static from nearby 802.11b nodes.
Nobody "owns" the radio spectrum, but we all use it. Regulation helps make sure that it remains useful. You and I probably agree that the regulations aren't always beneficial to citizens, but ignoring them won't make things any better for anyone.
If none of this is obvious to you, then how can we possibly trust you to voluntarily play nice with others? And if we can't trust you to play nice, then we're left with two options: abandon any hope of ever using the radio spectrum for anything at all, or else enforce the standards and keep the spoilers out of the spectrum.
Which option would you vote for?
Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.
One issue is that satellites see the signal; there's always a little power transmitted into sidebands; and if the sideband lines up with a frequency that satellites use, then they can be in trouble. As WiFi becomes more and more popular this is going to become more of an issue.
-WolfWithoutAClause
"Gravity is only a theory, not a fact!"