[GTALUG] FCC "forces" TP-Link to enable open source on their router(s)

[David Collier-Brown]

The open source stuff is compliant: there's wasn't, and they were using 
an FCC ruling to argue that everyone had to use theirs. the FCC didn't 
appreciate the scam.

The business advantage of locked-down software is that a vendor can 
"encourage" you to buy a new router to get bugs fixed, by not supporting 
older models. The FCC effectively came out against that, too.

I admit to being surprised, but I'm quite pleased.

--dave

On 01/08/16 05:27 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:
> <http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2016/08/fcc-forces-tp-link-to-support-open-source-firmware-on-routers/>
>
> I don't quite get it.
>
> The FCC made a rule that was easy to comply with
> if the manufacturers prevented loading of third party firmware.
> (The rule: don't let you user set the router to use too much signal strength.)
>
> TP-Link's new firmware "could not" be replaced by 3rd party firmware.
>
> That firmware also allowed out-of-spec signal strength.
>
> As a settlement, FCC required TP-Link to pay a fine, to allow third
> party software, and to update the firmware to not allow the user to
> specify (through the GUI) too much signal strength.
>
> So the original problem remains: how can TP-Link prevent existing
> hardware from generating too strong signals if it cannot control the
> firmware?
> ---
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-- 
David Collier-Brown,         | Always do right. This will gratify
System Programmer and Author | some people and astonish the rest
davecb at spamcop.net           |                      -- Mark Twain

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