• Unable to invoke FCC rules, LARIAT resorted to other tactics:
• Members wrote letters to local newspaper and politicians
• Asked City Council to deny use of public right of way unless there was cooperation
• Contacted Metricom (and Paul Allen) directly and persuaded them that interfering with a vital community network was bad PR

 
• KN agreed to retrofit LARIAT's equipment to 802.11/ 2.4 GHz if it deployed

 
• Then... KN was acquired and Ricochet franchise was dropped. LARIAT's 900 MHz facilities were not replaced and are still operational today.

Lesson #2: Etiquette and cooperation matter. FCC rules must take into account aggregate interference of systems as well as interference from individual transmitters.

Note: LARIAT has not had a run-in with amateur radio operators (the local ham community is supportive of our efforts). But others have! To succeed and be reliable, wireless broadband needs bands that are off limits to hams.