IAVM is pleased to announce that it has successfully worked with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish, and approve as an industry best practice, Common Sense Rules for Wi-Fi usage in public assembly venues.
“The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau’s recent activities created confusion in the events market as to what actions could or could not be taken to manage the wireless spectrum on the tradeshow floor,” stated Brad Mayne, IAVM President and CEO. “IAVM felt it was best to take a proactive stance with the FCC in their understanding of the needs of our stakeholders to establish clear direction on what wireless network management actions are permitted.”
The work was done as part of the Communication Security, Reliability and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). The CSRIC is a Federal Advisory Committee that provides recommendations to the Commission regarding best practices and actions the Commission can take to ensure optimal security, reliability, and interoperability of commercial and public safety communications systems.
The CSRIC’s Working Group 9 was tasked with developing, for CSRIC’s consideration, recommended best practices for promoting enhanced security for networks and devices utilizing Wi-Fi spectrum bands. Members of the Working Group included representatives from various industries, including telecommunications providers, higher education, wireless equipment manufacturers and the events industry.
In addition to Mayne, others from IAVM’s Wi-Fi Coalition who participated in the Working Group included Scott Craighead, Vice President of Exhibitions and Events for the International Association of Exhibitions and Events, Mark Sims, Chief Information Officer at the Javits Center and Mark Haley, President of Smart City Networks.
The Working Group accepted the best practices for improving Wi-Fi Security from across various industry groups, including IAVM’s Common Sense Rules for Wi-Fi Security, as well as other best practices to deal with rogue access points.
Additionally, the Working Group recommended that the FCC resolve the policy and legal issues regarding the ability of enterprise customers or network operators to use de-authentication to protect Wi-Fi users from legitimate cybersecurity threats.
Don’t miss Mark Haley’s Venue Chat on these new rules at VenueConnect: “Venue Chat: Working with the FCC: Common Sense Rules for Wi-Fi in Public Venues” on Tuesday, August 8th, at 10am and 10:40am, Booth in Nashville.
