Regulatory Environment for 802.11

Regulatory Environment for 802.11
Finally, another objecting view toward 802.11 is the fact that it uses unlicensed spectrum, which means
any other competing service or appliance can introduce interference in the network, resulting in poor
service to the end user. This is known as the tragedy of the commons. The alternative to unlicensed
spectrum is licensed spectrum. Spectrum licenses for a particular frequency or band of frequencies are
sold at auction. Licenses for spectrum dedicated to third-generation (3G) services offered by cell phone
companies have committed those firms to billions of dollars of license costs. Given the cost of spectrum,
few service providers can enter that market space. Other objections run the possibility that incumbents
will lobby the government to make "free" spectrum no longer "free" any more.
The solution for the tragedy of the commons is twofold. First, it is entirely possible to engineer around
interference regardless of the source. Secondly, the U.S. government is about to alter its spectrum
management policy, which is based on the Radio Act of 1927. The Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) has issued a series of reports that study issues such as spectrum scarcity, interference,
government command and control of the spectrum, and the public's interest. It is possible that the FCC
will offer sweeping reform of spectrum management that will favor wireless Internet service providers
(WISPs).
Congress may also get into the act. At the time of this writing, new legislation is being introduced into
Congress that would open 255 MHz of spectrum for unlicensed usage. With this much more spectrum to
use, less likelihood of interference exists.