[MLB-WIRELESS] carrier licence exemption for wifi

[Rowan Crowe]

This report,

http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/cita/Wbt/report/entirereport.pdf

... from 2002, recommends,


"2. that the requirement for carrier licences on the ISM bands be
eliminated for both commercial and non-commercial operation.
This will allow Australian broadband customers easier access to
WLAN as a broadband alternative, and also enable Australian
wireless engineers to compete with overseas entities in this
burgeoning field. ISM band power limits should remain
unchanged unless an exemption applies in non-metropolitan
areas (see the Committee.s later recommendation in this regard). p. 62"


I believe Steven Haigh was quoted in this report. Has this recommendation
actually gone anywhere? I know that noncommercial links are now clearly
exempted from carrier licencing, but what about small businesses using
them?

I'm itching to set up a small ISP again but the legal and administrative
requirements of maintaining a carrier licence purely for 802.11 based
internet access seem quite daunting... particularly because it would just
be a one-man admin "no frills access" type of product.

Living on the fringes of outer suburbia (Roxburgh Park/Greenvale) I would
also be interested in looking at supplying access to semi-rural properties
close by, which may have some extra "pull" with the authorities. (I can
almost see cows from my front door. ;) )

So, anyone else interested. I bet I'm not the only one who wouldn't mind
setting up a small scale (maybe 2-3 interconnected POPs) wireless ISP.

Cheers.