Re: [44net] What is 44net?

On Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:26:15 -0700, Eric Fort <eric.fort(a)gmail.com> wrote: Nor is authentication of originating station required under any rules. All this fret and fuss over authentication seems rather pointless for radio-facing interfaces. The originating station is responsible for the content of the _radio_ communication. End of discussion. Whatever happens on the network side is not within FCC jurisdiction nor is it within IARU jurisdiction. Now, if a relaying station wants to restrict access to a service then that should be done through a login to that service. These protocols are well-defined and well-established. Start going down the road of the legal necessity of "authentication" and you'll have the armchair lawyers prattling on about "encryption", an essential component of authentication, being prohibited under the rules. Catch-22. FCC has stated that whatever isn't expressly prohibited is permitted. I don't think there's a single case of FCC or any other amateur radio regulatory authority fining an amateur operator for an infraction of the rules without first sending a cease and desist letter first. I can remember the bad old days of the Hollywood repeater being full of all kinds of improper amateur radio conduct and it took a truck load of complaints and letters to get FCC to finally assign an enforcement team and it took YEARS for that case to be adjudicated. When I was in college our club was cited for being 0.03kHz outside the 20 meter phone band on Field Day. The only think we had to do was reply that measures were being taken to prevent a re-occurrence. If you're going to be so worried about the legalities that you lose sleep over it then tear down your antennas, throw your radios in the trash and get a different hobby. I hear guns are big this year. :) Stop fretting about content and just DO it.