On the eve of the FCC's Rural Wireless ISP Showcase on Sept. 18, the Wireless Communications Association (WCA) announced the launch of a secure Wi-Fi connection for visiting speakers as a permanent display in WCA's headquarters in Washington, DC.
Celerus Networks, which delivers turnkey-managed Wi-Fi solutions to enterprise, government and other sectors, demonstrated the advantages of the system by installing it promptly before a reception for rural carriers convening to speak at the FCC Showcase. The FCC invited 13 rural carriers (seven of whom are members of WCA) to FCC headquarters for a nationwide webcast Sept. 18 describing cutting-edge wireless applications in underserved areas, including Wi-Fi. The FCC program includes all five Commissioners, plus key federal officials helping with funding.
The Celerus installation of Wi-Fi (802.11) at WCA became fully operative in minutes. This will, for example, enable visiting members to access their email traffic back home on Wednesday while meeting with their peers at the association's headquarters to plan the week's activities, which include the FCC Showcase and visits with Congressional staff to advocate on rural broadband issues.
"WCA is the logical venue for demonstrating the latest wireless technologies," commented Celerus Networks Chairman Mark Corbitt, a former executive with Intel Corporation, Telcom Ventures and the FCC. "WCA and members of its License Exempt Alliance," commented WCA President Andrew Kreig, "will long be grateful for this donated installation. We can use to illustrate for visitors the reasons for the rapid deployment and advanced capabilities of the Wi-Fi sector of wireless broadband."