This is an email thread that I saved as a draft for a blog that I didn't actually start. It was sufficiently interesting that I decided to post it into this blog - actual posting date was 2021-03-23 but putting it in the blog as 2007-01-29. This was the very early days of WISPA - the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association when they were celebrating every WISP that decided to join WISPA, especially the larger ones. This was also the time when there were vastly larger, better funded, longer-lived organizations, and WISPA is basically the only organization that now represents "Fixed Wireless". It's now 14 years after this email thread, and "TV Whitespace" broadband is a largely unfulfilled technology (it's still not widely used), and WISPs are still scrambling for more, and more usable, spectrum to serve their customers.
From: [email protected]
Subject: [WISPA] I'm gonna do the honors without permission -- WELCOME Marty & Roadstar!
Date: January 29, 2007 3:42:41 PM PST
To: [email protected]
Reply-To: [email protected]
Dear WISPA members and friends (which includes many of you),
I just learned some very good news -- Marty Dougherty, CEO and founder of Roadstar Internet (http://www.roadstarinternet.com/index.php), based in Loundon County, VA recently joined WISPA as a paid member WISP. This
is great news and here's why:
Marty operates a high profile and large WISP network that connects over 1,000 homes and business primarily in the challenging "exurb" edges of the rolling Northern Virginia country side (all forests, fields, and foothills). Roadstar was the first WISP ever visited by a FCC chairman when former Chairman Powell toured the NOC and a few customers with a large entourage and press back around 2002. Since then Marty, like many of you, has been a frequent face at the FCC and he regularly hosts dignitaries from here and abroad.
Marty also has another "incumbent" asset, shall we say, he used to work in the telco space. So his insight is fantastic. As well, Marty has a some staff that he is willing to have assist WISPA, such as is newly hired PR person who is the former editor of the Loudon Business newspaper.
Folks, Marty is like you in that he "boot-strapped" this business from his own pocket and literally from the garage-turned-office from behind his house. He has repeatedly turned down major investment offers so he can continue to grow under his control. Also like many of you he began with 802.11b, then migrated to another brand, and eventually settled (so far!) on BreezeACCESS VL.
Maybe most importantly, Marty is a great person like so many of you. I count him as a friend and I am proud to have contributed to earning his business.
Please welcome him and make use of his many talents...I know we do (he is typically a top choice for beta testing and other advice).
Thanks Rick and John, in advance, for humoring me as I introduce Marty.
Sincerely,
Patrick Leary
AVP WISP Markets
Alvarion, Inc.
o: 650.314.2628
c: 760.580.0080
Vonage: 650.641.1243
[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Patrick Leary
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 10:55 AM
To: WISPA General List
Subject: RE: [WISPA] Open letter to the IEEE
Here is a good link for those who which to understand the issue more fully. The authors are as qualified as you get and professionally known (I don't know Andrew though) by a number of us here so we can vouch for them.
http://www.newamerica.net/publications/policy/reclaiming_the_vast_wasteland_why_unlicensed_use_of_white_space_in_the_tv_bands_will_not_cause_int
erference_
Patrick
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Patrick Leary
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 10:48 AM
To: WISPA General List
Subject: RE: [WISPA] Open letter to the IEEE
Bingo. Very nice edit Forbes with one exception: the "white space" does not refer to 700 MHz. Technically, it covers a range of more than 600 MHz sub 700 MHz, excluding a smattering of bands that will still be in use (not expected to be present in more than 120 markets) and a few other small channels reserved for things like public safety.
Patrick Leary
AVP WISP Markets
Alvarion, Inc.
o: 650.314.2628
c: 760.580.0080
Vonage: 650.641.1243
[email protected]
________________________________
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Forbes Mercy
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 10:44 AM
To: WISPA General List
Subject: RE: [WISPA] Open letter to the IEEE
Marlon,
I kind of gutted your letter and changed it to one that acts a little more like it's from an organization then a person. Please don't take offense and feel free to change it. As you have explained to me, stepping back and looking at it from another person's eyes sometimes gets the same effect with a little calmer face.
Forbes Mercy
President - Washington Broadband, Inc.
Dear Sirs,
I represent the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA) an organization which has worked closely with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for many years. As you know we consist purely of WISP owners and have been pleased with the open ear provided by the FCC in our numerous opportunities for testimony and individual meetings. These meetings have resulted in a very fair and generous application of unlicensed frequencies. We feel that not only our industry has benefitted but many other applications have been invented providing American consumers new services, competition and pricing that helps keep inflation in check and advanced services accessible to all income levels.
One of our agenda issues has been active inclusion in the use of the 700 MHZ frequencies known as "TV White Space". The ability to have a product that actually covers distance through vegetation is very exciting. We have battled the upper frequencies short range and low power but also have provided innovative services to the most rural areas. This is a testiment to the vision of the FCC with your successful experiment giving Americans unlicensed space just to see if we can succeed, we did and because of it are very grateful.
We have considered the 700 MHZ space as the ultimate application for rural development and wish to convey some concerns over the preliminary specifications submitted. Our examples of this would be:
33' minimum antenna heights, pre-programmed exclusion zones, with no accounting for LOCAL terrain or foliage. As you know provision of Wireless has little similarity with Radio Station methods of engineering and implementation. The specifications become even more focused with the suggested geolocation of every Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) device. These proposeals could eliminate 90% of the customers and easily as many WISP's from using this band.
Very few people will be able to justify the $500 (probably closer to $1000) installation costs of these systems. We had hoped for an in-house antenna system that does not require outdoor antennas which are confusing to renting land owners and asthestically challanging to homeowners. It redirects costs from a 'take home and plug in' service to a much higher model of 'a truck run for every install' scenario.
Most of our operators have been pleased with the prospect of eliminating roll-up antennas, the high cost and hazard of roof-top work and the difficulty of employing installers, it triples the costs of operation and those funds, which could be used for more deployments, instead goes to unnecessary infrastructure and is passed on as higher costs to all income level Americans.
WISPA feels there is no need for the outdoor only, or minimum antenna height requirement. We feel that the local interference issues have been dealt with professionally in our existing bands and the minimal abuse has been well documented by the FCC. Low signal strength have been built into your standard for the incumbent detection mechanism.
Of course we acknowledge the pressure from the TV Broadcasting organizations to have more stringent standards due to the proximity to their systems therefore a beacon system in which any cpe would be acceptible to identify the owner of the ap for faster recitification of problems should one occur. This uses the innovation we have embrassed and the costs will assure that any problem, albiet unlikely, can be quickly qwelled locally. This resolves our need for GPS units and other expensive testing equipment not available to all providers. It also eliminates the need for dual antennas and GPS's for each customer CPE, another expensive requirement not required of any other commercial or unlicensed frequency.
Because of the need for some control to satisfy broadcasters the spectrum needs to be unlicensed with registration required with the FCC. Again we reiterate the need for inexpensive access to deploy thus hope any registration would be within reason. The innovation we have provided meets the President's goal of rural deployment without need for public funds and provides local responsiveness and competition that forces National providers to keep costs affordable.
As we have been in the past, the Wireless Internet Service Provider's Association will be happy to help with how this new standard will 'meet the road' as we have since the inception of the unlicensed process. Our emphasis has always been on economical deployment and exclusion in favor of high profit driven corporations continue to hurt deployment. the individual owners of our companies use the time honored American tradition of 'a good product at a reasonable price' with emphasis on local ownership. This is far from the motivation from stock owned large corporations where service and selection is based on rapid return of investment and not on innovation or rural (sparce) area deployment.
Our industry has plenty of high margin products to choose from already. Backhaul products are stable and plentiful. Everything from wireless, to copper to fiber is an option in the right conditions. Our industry's only real gap is in medium speed cheap products that will go through walls and trees etc., and the 700 MHZ meets that goal. We continue to value our close relationship with the FCC and are pleased that public service organizations still think of the public first. As an organization of small business owners we look forward to proper deployment of this frequency and recognition of the responsible manner we have deployed more restrictive bands to expand and serve the public.
Thank you for you time,
Marlon K. Schafer
WISPA FCC committee chairman
(509) 982-2181 Equipment sales
(408) 907-6910 (Vonage) Consulting services
42846865 (icq) And I run my own wisp!
[email protected]
www.odessaoffice.com/wireless
www.odessaoffice.com/marlon/cam
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