Wireless Commons License

= The WCL describes the terms and conditions to build open free networks

URL = http://blog.pucp.edu.pe/item/5031

Description

"The Wireless Commons License (WCL) describes the terms and conditions of the free and open networks, so enables individuals, communities, organizations, companies, governments or any type of organization to adopt or support this License

When the network is being built with wireless technologies, this license refers to the use of the unlicensed frequencies.

The license is inspired in the free and open networks principles." (http://blog.pucp.edu.pe/item/5031)

Principles

"In a summary:

. You are free to use the network for any purpose unless you are affecting to the network availability and/or the freedom of the other users.

. You are free to know how works the network and its components.

. You are free to use the network for any type of communication and promote it.

. By joining to the free and open network, you are helping to extend the network in the same conditions." (http://blog.pucp.edu.pe/item/5031)

Discussion

Details from http://blog.pucp.edu.pe/item/5031

About the free and open network

"The free and open network is the expression of fundamental principles like freedom, equality of opportunities, togetherness and brotherhood through the right of free communications and obtain the maximum possible benefit of the network features. In case that appear some doubt while applying this license, we have to look at this principles.

The network have to allow access to anybody who wants to, with the only limitation of this license If there are artifacts controlling the access, they should be for network management purposes, and not for exclude others access.

Although the network devices and infrastructures can be linked to multiple types of ownerships or entitlements, the network as a whole does not have any owner or proprietor, regardless of how significant is everyone contribution to the network.

The network participants who have adopted the WCL, extend the network in the same terms and conditions by allowing others data to transit on their own network segments, without manipulating that transit for any other reason that just for network management.

The network participants get engaged only to the terms of this license, any other engagement must be explicitly expressed and accepted.

In order to maximize connectivity and network growth, the network members are encouraged to provide permission to other network participants for installing their devices in their own facilities, although this permission is always discretionary and can be revoked at any time.

The adoption of the WCL can be expressed as an individual or as an organization and implies the acceptance of the WCL terms and conditions. At any time any member can revoke this adoption and therefore rescue their own network devices or equipments. The ownership is never lost, regardless of where are placed.

About the network management and traffic priorities (Quality of Service – QoS)

The network management criteria must be publicized

Whenever possible, the general criteria must be (by order of priorization):

. Interactive traffic (like instant messaging, VoIP, web browsing, etc.)

. Massive traffic or batch (big data transfers, email, file copy, etc.)

In case that a network member does not apply the criteria described above in more cases than just provide priority to his own traffic, should publish that criteria

There is no warranty of network availability as a whole. Anyway the best warranty is transparency: If possible, network information and availability will be published to allow the network members to diagnose incidents by themselves. However is allowed to provide service levels of availability in specific network segments, in that case who offer those services must provide detailed information and their terms of conditions.

About the use of the spectrum

The non licensed frequencies are considerer as an universal and public asset, like the air or the riversides public usage of those assets like the described in the WCL must prevail over the private or commercial usage. WCL supporters and adopters ask to regulator authorities and governments to develop spaces for make this happen.

The WCL adopters will do a responsible and reasonable usage of the spectrum and will not exceed the necessary transmission power.

About security

Every network participant is responsible of his own security, avoid intrusion on their systems and crypt their traffic if necessary or if he wants to. The open and free network just provides the support for making that possible.

Although private networks can be connected to the open network and use firewalls to control the access and traffic between those networks. Those private networks are not under the terms and conditions of the WCL, and their owners are responsible of their own security.

The open free network is never responsible of the usage or any damage caused by the network participants.

About liability

The open free network is never liable because of the usage or behavior of their participants.

About contents and services

The WCL describes the terms and conditions to build open free networks, but does not include or affect the contents and services of the network, including internet. There is already a choice of licenses for the contents and services. However and still related to contents and services, a few general principles apply also to them and they are:

There is a freedom to create contents and services to everybody who wants to.

The open free network is only the support over which the contents can transit, but the network itself have nothing to do with them and is not liable because of them.

The content creators or owners can license them with the license of their choice with no restriction. If not expressed, by default they are considered under the Creative Commons (by-sa). If is about servers that provide some sort of feature to the users, if not specified they are also considered free and offered “as is”, without warranty but expect to fit a purpose and is assumed to be a common self service service.

Network participants agree in not use the network for transmitting inappropriate or illegal contents that might damage the other participants, and avoid offensive, non solicited messages and any non-desirable content.

About Internet Access:

There are two possible models:

Based on sharing or managing unused bandwidth. In this context, if done without any other transaction, the Internet access is a privilege, not a right or a service. The network is just the vehicle that allows a consolidation of aggregated self services, and therefore, does not apply any regulation about markets or ISP services, and does not require or apply any contract with an Internet service provider.

. Internet access as a service. With this model, regulations may apply depending in the formula used by who provides the service

. The network as a whole can't be claimed for availability of Internet access or any other service. Has to be who offer those services according to 3.4: The WCL adopters have the freedom of subscribing/offer this services." (http://blog.pucp.edu.pe/item/5031)

Source

This text of the Wireless Commons License is released under the Creative Commons (by-nc-sa) license.

Non commercial use

Must give credit to this WCL original

Derivative works are welcome if those works are released with the same conditions