30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0100

What can be better while travelling to FOSDEM than to listen to the (hopefully) final chapter of the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED)? In this 45th SFP episode Alexander Sander and Bonnie Mehring are discussing the RED with their former colleague Max Mehl.Support FSFE: https://my.fsfe.org/support

SFP#45: The final chapter of the EU Radio Equipment Directive

What can be better while travelling to FOSDEM than to listen to the (hopefully) final chapter of the EU Radio Equipment Directive (RED)? In this 45th SFP episode Alexander Sander and Bonnie Mehring are discussing the RED with their former colleague Max Mehl.

Together, Alex, Bonnie, and Max, unfold the history of the Radio Equipment Directive and the latest developments in regard to this regulation. The FSFE's involvement started when Max, back then in 2015 a working student for the FSFE, printed all the pages of this directive on the university printer and sat down to read through them word by word. In the document he marked the Article 3(3)i as problematic as it threatens the installation of Free Software on radio devices, like routers or smart home technologies. Since then, he continued to work towards safeguarding Free Software on radio devices.

When Max took the next step in his career in 2022, Alex took over the work and continued, together with the help and insights of Max, to keep working towards software freedom and device neutrality, allowing users to install Free Software on radio devices. Now in 2025 the Radio Equipment Directive and the drafting of the delegated act for the Article 3(3)i have reached their final stage. Listen to our 45th episode to find out more!

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Show notes

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EU Radio Lockdown Directive

Activation of EU rules on radio equipment for reconfigurable radio systems

Directive 2014/53/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 April 2014 on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making available on the market of radio equipment and repealing Directive 1999/5/EC Text with EEA relevance

Legal Study on the Radio Equipment Directive’s Potential Ramifications for FOSS (May 15, 2019)

33C3 Routerzwang und Funkabschottung: Was Aktivisten davon lernen können (DE only)

Impact assessment study relating to software reconfigurable radio systems

Joint Statement against Radio Lockdown

SFP#14: The world of mesh networking with Elektra Wagenrad

Router Freedom Activity by the FSFE

The Railways and Open Transport Devroom

Legal and Policy DevRoom

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