[CWN-Summit] Need help gathering evidence

[Harold Feld]

There appears to be interest at the FCC on cracking down on folks who abuse 
the unlicensed rules by using always on equipment primarily to shut out 
others, if such allegations could be proved.  I'd like to go after the 
worst offenders and easiest cases first.  In particular, I am looking for 
any equipment manufacturer or service provider that explicitly advertises 
itself as holding channels open whether they are actually needed or 
not.  The more explicit the advertising (e.g., "use us and you will shut 
out all 802.11b devices using listen before talk") the better.

At this point, I do not want to try to go after folks like SBC who use the 
cheapest possible equipment and who blast at the loudest power.  We want 
something really deliberate.  OTOH, simple suggestions for improving 
efficiency (such as any factory set defaults that could be changed to make 
it less likely devices will pollute)  are also good.

I am hoping to file a request for a declaratory statement from the FCC that 
would explicitly prohibit certain forms of marketing and would urge 
industry to manage the spectrum effectively through simple steps (such as 
shipping devices with the most efficient default settings).  I don't know 
that I'll _get it_mind. All I've gotten so far is some unofficial interest 
in knowing about potentially abusive practices, but I think there is an 
opportunity to help make spectrum use more efficient.

Harold Feld
hfeld at mediaaccess.org