[Tfug] OT: Cox cable

[Shawn Nock]

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Harry McGregor wrote:

>> Since you would be gaining access w/o permission?
>>   
> Who grants the permission and when.  Electronically, the DHCP server on
> the router is granting permission (an address and a route) to enter the
> network.

To further Harry's point,

The FCC says that any device in compliance with FCC standards can
communicate in that band as long as it doesn't cause harmful
interference with other licensed transmissions.

Your cordless phone has permission, why not you?

If you broadcast private data into the ether in a band designated for
public use, it isn't illegal to snoop on that data. If you should
transmit into that public bit of bandwidth, can you be held responsible
of what another users gear might do?

The law hasn't specifically addressed this, but consider the analogy of
CB radio (which occupies a similarly public band). If you talk on you CB
and someone else's unit reacts unfavorably (say someone has left their
radio at full volume shoved deep into their ear canal) could you (the
wifi stealer / CB jock) be held accountable for (in this case deafening
a man) using what is yours (a bit of the RF spectrum)? Obviously not...

I worked in television/radio for a while, that gives me a pretty
condescending attitude about publicly licensed spectrum... but my gut
feeling is that under no circumstances should a radio operator running
at legal power, in spectrum they are licensed to use be held legally
accountable for the misconfiguration of a receiver.

As for the operator of the receiver (really a transceiver...), you've
got to do some CYA work sometimes to survive in this world... :)

Cheers,
Shawn


- --
Shawn Nock (OpenPGP: 0xB64200E1)
Unix Systems Group; CCIT
University of Arizona
nock at email.arizona.edu
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