Following up an item from 3 weeks ago in this blog, ComputerWeekly reports that the US Federal Communications Commission has ruled that it has "exclusive jurisdiction" over the use of unlicensed radio frequencies. At issue was a series of disputes between airline companies and airport owners over who had the right to regulate wi-fi systems in airports. Airport owners had argued that as landlords, they had the right to set rules for unlicensed radio systems in their facilities. The Industrial Telecommunications Association complained about that to the FCC last March. "In its decision," explains CW's Bob Brewin, "the FCC came down soundly on the side of airlines and other users of spectrum in multi-tenant environments, which would include airports, hotels and conference and convention centres. The FCC said in its ruling that 'we reaffirm that, under the Communications Act, the FCC has exclusive authority to resolve matters involving radio frequency interference when unlicensed devices are being used, regardless of venue...'" This ruling is likely to preempt many potential obstacles to the installation and use of wi-fi networks in the United States.
[Thanks to WirelessUnleashed for the pointer. The text of the FCC's announcement has not yet appeared on their website.]