[LEDE-DEV] [PATCH] mac80211: respect user-set regulatory domain by default

[David Lang]

On Thu, 26 May 2016, Daniel Golle wrote:

> Hi Daniel!
>
> On Wed, May 25, 2016 at 09:29:23PM -0400, Daniel Dickinson wrote:
>> ...
>> If the FCC hadn't already completely knobbish and basically eliminated
>> (or least required one to be much more determined and skilled) the
>> ability to use OpenWrt/LEDE on new routers in the US anyway, I might
>> have some objection (I'm not in the US but Canada will almost certainly
>> adopt similar legislation since our government tends to do what the US
>> wants, putzes that they are) on the grounds of leading to trouble.
>>
>> As it is, for new wireless routers, the US, and probably soon Canada,
>> are shut out from participating in OpenWrt/LEDE anyway, it's pretty much
>> moot point for those of us here, and in sane parts of the world it makes
>> sense.
>
> As we have learned at BattleMesh, this whole lockdown madness was
> actually started in some back-office of the European Comission back
> in 2014 without anyone of us noticing. As usually, if things like
> that happend, we Europeans are quick to blame others eventhough it
> was out own governments making that decission and then encouraging
> the FCC to do the same on the other side of the Atlantic.

It's also important to note that the FCC has not passed any rules requiring a 
lockdown. The posted some proposed rules that would require a lockdown, but 
after the backlash have made public statements that they do not intend to block 
OpenWRT or similar (and they started the 'free the settop box' project to break 
existing cable lockdowns)

Linksys would not be able to say that they are not going to lock down their 
devices if the FCC actually required it.


Back on topic, I think it's a good thing to default to world-wide and allow the 
user to set the proper country (they should not need to know what the codes are)

be sure to have the appropriate dire warnings about deliberatly setting it 
incorrectly and the trouble you could get into :-)

David Lang
AG6AH