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It seems like Russia wants to keep a tight reign on things, anything with Wifi capability must be licenses! That includes your phone…imagine having to apply for a permit to have a wireless AP at home?<\/p>\n
Rather ridiculous no?<\/p>\n
Business travellers to Russia might want to keep their laptops and iPhones well-concealed – not from muggers, necessarily, but from the country’s recently formed regulatory super-agency, Rossvyazokhrankultura (short for the Russian Mass Media, Communications and Cultural Protection Service).<\/p>\n
In the UK, Ofcom made deregulation one of its first priorities upon coming into existence, but the Russian equivalent is doing just the reverse, including an ominous-sounding policy of requiring registration for every Wi-Fi device and hotspot, according to a report this week from news agency Fontanka. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Deregulation? In Russia? It seems like that really is a joke. Privates registration are supposed to take 10 days..for hotspots? Bundles of paperwork and red-tape, everywhere else in the World is embracing free and easy Wifi, whole cities are countries are being covered in Wifi and it seems like Russia is trying to kill it off.<\/p>\n
Rossvyazokhrankultura’s interpretation of current law holds that users must register any electronics that use the frequency involved in Wi-Fi communications, said Vladimir Karpov, the deputy director of the agency’s communications monitoring division, according to an English commentary provided by website The Other Russia.<\/p>\n
Aside from public hotspots, the registration requirement also applies to home networks, laptops, smart phones and Wi-Fi-enabled PDAs, Karpov reportedly said. Registration only permits use by the owner. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So that pretty much covers absolutely anything that can emit or receive a Wifi signal…and only to be used by the owner?<\/p>\n
I wonder does that mean if we are sitting together and I let you use my phone to surf using Wifi we are breaking the law?<\/p>\n
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