Guy Kewney reports that Westchester County in New York is seeking to force all "public" WiFi hotspots to register in the name of security.

The intent is to force those who operate hotspots in coffehouses, etc. to install firewalls. But security is available through just about any router you can name. And what do they mean by firewall? Do they mean preventing any ports from activating other than those the authorities want? No, not now, but it easily could come to that.

The basic rationale leading to the claimed requirement, Kewney writes, is entirely bogus. Apparently someone went "wardriving" and found a bunch of "open" hotspots. Well, just because something is open doesn't mean you can just walk-in (although sometimes it does mean that). My new $80 NetGear wireless router doesn't have a firewall, but it does require the use of a password for access, and thus is "security enabled,." Does that meet the law's requirements?

The fact is Westchester authorities don't know.

I'm afraid what we're really talking about is forced registration of WiFi routers. This is unlicensed spectrum, folks. That means no license, not from the FCC, and not from you, either.

Jeebus.