No subject

reminded that Melbourne Wireless is adopting a very strict interpretation of 
whether or not the association providing Internet access without a licence 
is legal.  My reading of the ACA's site leads me to believe that Melbourne 
Wireless could offer Internet Access, and charge for it, so long as it 
wasn't consistently making a profit - that is, it wasn't consistently 
charging more for access than it was paying for it wholesale.  The ACA site 
mentions that "hobbyists and community groups such as cooperatives" may not 
need a carrier licence, so long as they maintain a non-profit approach.

I'm not attempting to stir up trouble by mentioning this, and I can see 
plenty of good reasons why Melbourne Wireless should maintain it's "no 
Internet" policy.  I just feel that we are getting progressively stricter on 
ourselves with regards to what we can and can't do.  Every now and then it 
pays to go back and re-read the original material.

Quoting from:

http://internet.aca.gov.au/acainterwr/consumer_info/frequently_asked_questions/wlans_faq.pdf

"A wireless network may be exempt from the carrier licence requirements if:
* it is used or for the sole purpose of supplying carriage services on a 
non-commercial basis..."

and

"hobbyists and community users such as cooperatives may not require a 
licence as long as they meet the 'non-commercial' tests outlined in the fact 
sheet..."

The fact sheet has five "tests" to determine whether a network is 
non-commercial.