In the US, they want to ban the modification of firmware for Wi-Fi routers



    In recent years, it has become commonplace to buy an inexpensive gadget and install free firmware on it. On Android smartphones, we put a more powerful OS CyanogenMod, on home routers - universal OpenWrt firmware. I bought a gadget and do whatever I want with it, right?

    No not like this.

    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published a preliminary version of the new certification rules for radio equipment. This regulation has not changed for several decades, so the desire of the FCC to bring it into line with modern requirements is understandable.

    Under the new rules, it is forbidden to change the firmware of devices with radio transmitters operating in the U-NII range. This is a small part of the radio frequency spectrum, part of which is used for Wi-Fi 5 GHz.

    Thus, in order to obtain a license to sell a Wi-Fi router or other device, the manufacturer will be required to protect the firmware from any modifications. In fact, the new FCC regulation puts an end to the use of free firmware. The ban on modification applies to personal computers, laptops and mobile phones with a built-in Wi-Fi chip.

    If the new regulation comes into force, this may lead to the following: a ban on installing an alternative operating system on the computer (GNU / Linux, OpenBSD, FreeBSD, etc.); freezing research in advanced wireless technologies such as mesh networks; a ban on installing third-party firmware on an Android smartphone; vague prospects for developing free firmware for routers like OpenWrt.

    It would seem that the ban on free firmware is an exclusively American problem, as is the ban on jailbreak of iPhones. Like, let them forbid anything at home, what to us?

    But the decision of the American regulator will inevitably affect us. You need to understand that Chinese manufacturers are unlikely to want to make two models of the same router: one for the United States, and the second for the rest of the world. No, we will also receive gadgets with locked firmware. So the FCC decision will strike worldwide.

    Comments on the proposed regulations of the Federal Communications Commission "Authorization and Electronic Labeling for Wireless Devices" are accepted until October 9 .

    A number of public organizations and commercial firms - ThinkPenguin, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Free Software Foundation (FSF), Software Freedom Law Center, Software Freedom Conservancy, OpenWrt, LibreCMC, Qualcomm and others - have launched a universal Save Wi-Fi campaign.. They urge everyone who has such an opportunity to take part in the campaign and persuade American officials to adjust the certification rules. To do this, go to the Federal Register page and click the "Submit a formal comment" button. In the comment box, express your opinion on this issue, leave a name and email address.

    All users are encouraged to disseminate information about an impending threat. Use the hashtag #SaveWifi.

    Also popular now: