It is often said that the opposite of progress is paperwork. The incomprehensibly self-defeating wastefulness and inefficiency of the legislatosaurus never ceases to depress me, but for once, America's idiocracy has been outdumbed by a Russian government agency which has proposed one of the most breathtakingly inane policies that I have ever had the misfortune of witnessing: mandatory registration of all WiFi devices.

According to Fontanka.ru, a Russian news source, the government agency responsible for regulating mass media, communications, and cultural protection has stated that users will have to register every WiFi-enabled device with the government and receive special permission in order to use the hardware. The agency says that registration could take as long as ten days for standard devices like PDAs and laptops and that it intends to confiscate devices that are used without registration. Users who wish to operate a wireless access point or WiFi-enabled home router are expected to go through an even more onerous process that will involve submitting documentation and obtaining a license. In certain regions, like Moscow and St. Petersburg, users will also have to receive special approval from the Federal Security Service.

The policy, which was explained to Fontanka.ru by the Russian agency's deputy director Vladimir Karpov, could reverse existing policies like a 2004 government panel decision to provide blanket permission for indoor wireless access point operation and a 2007 policy which allowed use of mobile WiFi devices without registration. According to The Other Russia, which provides an overview of the Fontanka.ru article in English as well as some additional details, the Russian government agency which is responsible for issuing the new policy was created when the Russian media and telecommunications regulatory bodies were merged last year.

The policy would likely be impossible to enforce and some question whether the government agency even has the authority to enforce it. WiFi technology is a powerful enabler of mobile connectivity and technological innovation. If regulatory policies broadly erode the availability of connectivity, the results could be disastrous for Russia's tech-savvy population. The policy reflects an abysmal understanding of WiFi's pervasiveness and utility and seems like arbitrary bureaucratic decision with no inherent purpose. Perhaps in Russia, unregulated WiFi is one of those accoutrements of capitalist imperialism that must be opposed with vigorous shoe-banging and similarly vigorous legislative action.





Mandatory WiFi regulation could have a chilling effect on Russia's IT industry

The Fontanka.ru article quotes an industry specialist who points out that the government agency behind the policy is run by a former metallurgic engineer who likely has no clue about many of the technical issues overseen by his organization. In this respect, Russia has much in common with the US, where lack of relevant experience often seems to be a prerequisite for public office, especially when it comes to regulating the series of tubes that make up the interwebs.