From: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 04:56:07 +0800
To: "E. ALLEN SMITH" <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Edited Edupage, 25 April 1996
Message-ID: <m0uFjnB-00091dC@pacifier.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 05:55 PM 5/3/96 EDT, E. ALLEN SMITH wrote:
>From:	IN%"educom@elanor.oit.unc.edu" 25-APR-1996 21:40:28.52
>
>>FCC BOOSTS PROSPECT FOR SUPERNETS
>>The Federal Communications Commission may reserve a band of radio
>>frequencies to allow free and unlicensed transmissions at 25 megabit speeds
>>of large volumes of data within a group of buildings.  These so-called
>>"supernet" wireless services, which would operate at no more than one watt
>>of power in order to avoid interfering with neighboring supernets, could
>>then be connected by high-speed phone lines to the Internet, thus largely
>>bypassing local phone companies to get Net access.  (New York Times 25 Apr
>>96 C1)
>
>	If these are not covered by the regulations against encryption in
>the use of packet radio, this would seem to be an opening for such. Indeed,
>encryption of radio messages would appear to be rather critical for security.

FAIK, the prohibition on encryption applies only to hams transmitting on amateur radio frequencies.  It wouldn't cover this kind of thing.

I agree that encryption is going to be vital in this case, say 1024-bit RSA or better.  Thus encrypted, it would be even better if the there was also a law which prohibited _the government_ from picking up these transmissions or attempting to decrypt them.

Another useful purpose of such a "supernet" would be alternative telephone system competition.  At this data rate, we're talking about the equivalent of 500+ simultaneous phone call capacity.  That's enough to serve perhaps 5000 homes or more.


>>HARDWARE SOLUTION TO E-COMMERCE SECURITY
>>VLSI Technology and Tandem Computer's Atalla are developing chip-level
>>security products to protect electronic transactions over the Internet and
>>intranets.  The products will incorporate DES, RSA and other encryption
>>technology, and the companies hope their joint venture will establish a
>>hardware-based security standard for electronic commerce.  (Information Week
>>15 Apr 96 p34)


Remember, however, that VLSI technology is the company that built Clipper...

Jim Bell
jimbell@pacifier.com