[MLB-WIRELESS] noncommercial WISP

[Robert Hart]

This question has been around since wireless has been around, it been 
brought up so many times I can't remember.

If you ask for a payment to recover the cost even at a loss regardless 
if it is money, donated equipment or other things in return Internet 
access, it is not allowed under the ACMA.

I don't know about others, but I am under the strong option that this 
should never really change, for reasons I will not go into now. 

Anyone who wants to share Internet shouldbe encouraged, as it is really 
great thing to do, but it must be done freely if to comply with ACMA 
guidelines.  At least in metropolitan areas, different rules apply to 
regional areas where broadband is not available.

If club members want Internet access it is allowable for an Incorporated 
non-profit club to make Internet available provided it is at no extra 
cost other then their usual membership fee.   The club must also ensure 
that the costs of such are correctly recorded in the club accounts to 
show evidence that no financial benefit has been gained by the club or 
its members.  There must also be no offer or guarantee of an Internet 
service as part of membership or as an inducement to join.

There are already plenty of commercial wireless providers out there some 
good and some very bad all are scrambling over each other to provide 
cheaper Internet over wireless, and their margins are tight.  I say let 
them fight for the scraps, thats not what community wireless network is 
about.

Community Wireless Networks about finding ways to share IT resources 
over a collaborative network overcoming LOS issues for interest, fun or 
as a way to contribute to the community.

Rowan 2006 wrote:
> On Tue, 12 Sep 2006, gummay.net wrote:
>
>   
>> Odd - they seem be approaching the grey area in a different way since
>> the time I last contacted them (in 2004).
>>
>> Here's the email I received back then:
>>     
>
> Actually it's pretty much the same answer - it's the "if you share costs
> with your neighbour you are benefiting" part that is the key.
>
> Your next email suggesting redundancy between members could possibly be
> considered a similar "shared benefit", since you could potentially have
> faster net access by borrowing from others links. :(
>
> BTW I'm speaking with the same person at ACMA. I'm trying a slightly
> different scenario where people connecting to the access point are (a) not
> obligated to pay anything - it is free, and (b) if they do decide to
> donate, it will cover capital equipment purchases only and will benefit
> all users, not them specifically.
>
> I guess if people are donating then that also extends an obligation to me
> to keep the service running. What if a neighbour's donation helped fund
> the purchase of a new AP, and due to unforeseen circumstances I have to
> shut it down a week later? I doubt they'd be happy.
>
> I could also do it another way... pay for everything myself now and hope
> that within 2-3 years the law will allow me to turn it commercial. :) Or
> that some day I can afford to pay for a carrier licence and company
> structure, and put up with all the associated paperwork and red tape. :)
>   

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