"FCC Says Airports Can't Regulate Wi-Fi"

Friday, June 25, 2004
 
Regulation: 
FCC Says Airports Can't Regulate Wi-Fi
By Mike Masnick
TheFeature.com


The FCC has quickly stepped in to clear up some confusion over who owned
the airwaves around an airport for setting up things like Wi-Fi
networks. 

There's been an ongoing battle between airports and their tenants
(airlines and various retail shops) concerning who "owns" the airwaves
in the airport. The airports want control over the airwaves, so they can
set up a big Wi-Fi system, and charge everyone to use it. The tenants
want to be able to set up their own Wi-Fi. While the airports suggest
competing networks may cause interference problems, most have suspected
it was the economic issue that was really driving them.

This could represent a larger issue, however. If the airports were found
to have the legal right to be the sole Wi-Fi provider, it's conceivable
that an apartment building owner or an office building owner could do
the same sort of thing with their tenants -- forcing them to purchase
their way into a building-wide Wi-Fi system. 

Luckily, the FCC has quickly stepped in and made it clear that only they
can regulate unlicensed wireless usage, meaning the tenants are free to
do what they want. They base this on the same ruling that allows anyone
in an apartment to set up a satellite TV or wireless broadband system
for their house without having to first get permission from their
landlord. They do not want the landlord to be able to unfairly control
the options a tenant has to access "basic services." While it may make
the landlords upset, it's the proper ruling to continue to promote Wi-Fi
usage in a competitive market.


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