Courthouse Wi-Fi Access and New Tech Standards

An article last month in Government Technology magazine’s website titled “Court Calls for Wi-Fi to Comply with N.Y. Digital Evidence Rule” got me thinking that the world is probably changing in terms of courthouse Internet access.  The following post will list/discuss some of the court's policies and rules along with some new Wi-Fi standards that are being implemented.

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The article explains that the New York State Legislature has enacted a new law (CPLR 4511) that expands “the admissibility of all digital evidence in courts such as images, maps, locations, distances, or other information taken via tools such as web mapping or global image services”.  The law also requires parties that will be using the electronic evidence at a trial or hearing must give a 30-day notice before the court date. 

Other courts have been providing Wi-Fi access and they have posted their rules and help web pages for their users.  I particularly like the Vermont Judiciary’s pages that describe Usage Requirements, and a PDF policy document that explains the prohibition for juror use of the Internet along with the appropriate disclaimers and last, the actual instructions and Wi-Fi access WPA key password.

DeKalb County Superior Court in Georgia takes a simpler approach on their Wireless Network Information web page advising users of the potential risk, the need for their own power source, how to connect, and that County employees “are not allowed to provide computer assistance to the public”.

Further, since courthouse construction materials are usually hostile to electronic signals, not to mention judges and courts that have electronic device prohibition rules, this change presents several challenges to traditional court IT services. So let's see what is happening with Wi-Fi standards? 

The Wi-Fi Alliance organization that set the standards have developed and are rolling out two standards that look interesting.  The first one is called the Wi-Fi 2.0 standard (IEEE 802.11u).  It allows for easier cross-network connection by the users.  They have also created the 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6 standard that is 30% faster and provides extended range.  A long description is available in this TechRepublic.com article.

And of course, we have the mobile (cell) phone companies starting their 5G rollouts in the USA and around the world. 

Technology developments never stop. So there are many things to learn about and consider in our planning for the future.