And I agree with you, and yes while the title of this thread is click bait, there are some concerns in this that are out in the wild RIGHT NOW. Whether we like it or not, manf's (broadcom) are already starting to tighten the strings on the boot-loader's and the security checks that firmware's are able to check via an encrypted boot-loader using a closed source executable. Once the boot-loader gets locked out, then we are in trouble. (Not sure if you read my link above in my first post, you should (was over a month ago, so not related to this thread))
And yes, that is the idea. That the majority of your business base cares less on what is happening behind the scenes of their wireless routers, as long as they work. We are but a small few (I assume) that like to go a little deeper and play around. However, we are not a "business model" and will be an afterthought when strategies get agreed on in board rooms. So, like you said, it will be down to the manf's to sort out how they want to secure their systems. But as said in the article of the OP, software methods (while popular now) are not a viable solution to the FCC's concerns. Thus introduce encryption. It's not going to be pragmatic for manf's to design radios for different country regions, it's cheaper for one radio for them all, and restricted afterwards.
I know the USA is not the world. But the reach they have is far and wide, look at the RIAA and file sharing. While these are US laws, they are now globally enforced. I would expect no different from the FCC. In the end, the FCC is not trying to be mean, they are just trying to utilize a system that works for most. That's fine for me, cause I cant use any European channels here in the US anyways, my clients don't see it. But unfortunately the way this gets enforced may have repercussions on the open source community. That's why I am sad.
