FCC fights the open source concept

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Are you referring to this"

From the FCC Notice:

The Commission hereby states that it is its policy, consistent with the intent of Cognitive Radio Report and Order and Cisco's request, that manufacturers should not intentionally make the distinctive elements that implement that manufacturer's particular security measures in a software defined radio public, if doing so would increase the risk that these security measures could be defeated or otherwise circumvented to allow operation of the radio in a manner that violates the Commission's rules. A system that is wholly dependent on open source elements will have a high burden to demonstrate that it is sufficiently secure to warrant authorization as a software defined radio.

The FCC is not banning the use of open source software when it comes to security portions of SDR radios - they are just putting a higher burden on the certification process.

While I do think that open source security software is more secure than proprietary, I can see how they rationalize their fear that with an open source SDR, a malicious user can override the security and make the radio interfere with other licensed radio services. But then again, anyone can take a type-certified radio and make it interfere with others - for example, by transmitting on a frequency already in use by another licensed user like a taxi radio dispatcher.

This is one example of the positive use of a key to lock down a portion of software in a hardware device - unlike that of Tivo. But then again, a Tivo doesn't broadcast a radio signal.

Posted by: NetArch.   Posted on: 07/06/07 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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