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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006>Thanks <FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000
size=3>Gráinne , a very comprehensive answer.</FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#000000 size=3><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006>I would like to explore a few simpler
options.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006>1. What are the legalities of sharing
an internet connection with "friends and neighbours". I know my ISP forbids
sharing. Do they all?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006>2. If a business Joe Blogg Pty Ltd
buys a wholesale internet connection it can share it with its 100 employees,
including a microlink to the other factory down the road. Could a business
Melbourne Wireless Inc buy a wholesale rate and share it with it employees or
members? </SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006>2a. Its likely i imaging the
wholesale supplier may require that the network was secure (members/employees
only) and the number of total or concurrent users could be specified, measured
and controlled.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006>Regards</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=394455900-23092006>David</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> melbwireless-bounces@wireless.org.au
[mailto:melbwireless-bounces@wireless.org.au] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Gráinne
O'Donovan<BR><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, 23 September 2006 8:26 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
melbwireless@wireless.org.au<BR><B>Subject:</B> SPAM-LOW: [MLB-WIRELESS] Carrier
Licence<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>Thought I'd throw my 2 cents in.<BR><BR>I am NOT a telecoms
specialist, but it seems to me that:<BR><BR>
<OL>
<LI>The requirement of an approved Industry Development Plan as a prerequisite
to a carrier licence application was removed by legislative amendment in
September 2005 (Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Telecommunications Act 1997, which
made an IDP a condition of a carrier licence, <A
href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/num_act/tlaacia2005n1192005763/sch1.html">was
repealed</A>). A quick check of the ACMA <A
href="http://www.acma.gov.au/acmainterwr/aca_home/licensing/telcomm/app_form/carlicap.pdf">Carrier
Licence Application Form </A>supports this, as no reference is made to
an IDP in the form or checklist, although the <A
href="http://www.acma.gov.au/ACMAINTER.1900810:STANDARD::pc=PC_578">Guide</A>
still refers to IDP's - but hasn't been amended since before the 2005 Amending
Act. <BR>
<LI>If you really want to apply for a carrier licence, it IS theoretically
possible to do so as an incorporated association, although none of the
licensees listed on the <A
href="http://www.acma.gov.au/ACMAINTER.852114:STANDARD::pc=PC_1625">Register
</A>is other than a company, so it might "throw" the ACMA people. This is
because a "constitutional corporation" may apply for a licence. The term
"corporation" includes companies, incorporated associations and even some
unincorporated associations ( <A
href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca2001172/s57a.html">Corporations
Act s57A</A>). A "constitutional corporation" is one that is either a foreign
corporation, a financial corporation or a trading corporation. The "trading
corporation" category is the easiest to satisfy.
<LI>However, setting up a company isn't expensive these days. The application
fee to ASIC is only about $400 or so. The annual return of a Pty Ltd company
is very simple. Basically, changes of officeholders and key data must be
communicated to ASIC during the year, and an annual statement checked for
accuracy (ASIC sends it to you) at year's end. The annual fee is $212 or $40
for a special purpose (not-for-profit) company.c<BR>
<LI>It looks as if the carrier licence application fee (of $2200) might be
refundable if the application is unsuccessful. (<A
href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ta1997214/s73a.html">
s73A</A>)<BR>
<LI>Not sure if this could be a goer, but it seems to me that the Minister
might be willing to consider an application for a determination exempting
Melbourne Wireless from the requirement that it (and its network members) hold
a carrier licence. As far as I can tell, there have only been two
determinations by the Minister under <A
href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ta1997214/s51.html">s51</A>
. One was to rectify an anomaly of double-regulation (re datacasting) and the
other reads:<BR></LI></OL>
<DIV style="MARGIN-LEFT: 80px"><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic">"</SPAN><FONT
style="FONT-STYLE: italic" size=3>I, RICHARD KENNETH ROBERT ALSTON, Minister for
Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, under subsection 51(1) of
the Telecommunications Act 1997 ('the Act'), determine that section 42 of the
Act does not apply in relation to the fixed radiocommunications links owned by
Santos Ltd (ACN 007 550 923) between Caldina Creek and Moomba, both in the State
of South Australia.</FONT><SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic"> "<BR><BR>(Section 42
is the one that imposes an obligation to hold a carrier
licence.)<BR></SPAN></DIV><BR><BR>That means there's not much of a history of
section 51 applications (successful ones, at any rate). But, one of the objects
of the Telecommunications Act is <A
href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ta1997214/s3.html">"to
promote the supply of diverse and innovative carriage services</A><A
href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ta1997214/s3.html"> and
</A><A
href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ta1997214/s3.html">content
services</A><A
href="http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ta1997214/s3.html">"</A><BR>so
you'd hope they'd be open to considering a network that is really designed to
support hobbyists/members, not the general public, especially if that network
were willing to put in place any necessary safeguards and promised to "play
nicely" in the "public park" of 2.4GHz (or the other one - I'm showing my
ignorance now).<BR><BR>Such an application would be made to the Minister
(DCITA). I haven't spotted an application fee anywhere (and I've looked). We
could be lucky there. Might be worth a try. <BR><SPAN
style="FONT-STYLE: italic"></SPAN><BR clear=all><BR>-- <BR>Grace to
you,<BR>Gráinne </BODY></HTML>