Topband: RM-11306 (major issue)

[Ford Peterson]

Joe wrote:

>  2) the lack of a requirement that all digital protocols be
>     published and freely available in executable form for
>     Windows, Apple and Linux platforms to enable monitoring
>     and "self-policing"

This point cannot be emphasized enough.  Without open protocols, it is impossible to navigate the band.  Furthermore, a digital protocol that is private is tantamount to an encryption of sorts.  It is not beyond comprehension to develop one's own private little language and only those "in the know" would be able to copy or understand.  In these days of diaper-heads with bombs needing comms, it does not take a rocket scientist to understand that failure to REQUIRE open standards could introduce all sorts of undesireable regulation and (God forbid) deadly comms between deadly people.

Ford-N0FP
ford at cmgate.com