A few of you may recall that when Apple brought wireless networking to the masses with AirPort back in the fall of 1999, there was a minor issue with how the technology affected the French military. No, prolonged exposure didn't make them sprout purple antennae and spontaneously start speaking in Swedish, or anything like that (at least, so far), but apparently in France the 2.4 GHz waveband where AirPort likes to hang out and do its thing is reserved for the military, and therefore Apple was basically stepping on a few government toes. It seems that the French government felt that an AirPort-equipped iBook was theoretically capable of scrambling defense force communications, which, okay, is kinda neat-- but the penalty for doing so is a fine of thirty grand and half a year chained up in the Bastille. Sacre bleu!

Now, apparently private citizens can apply for special permission to use the 2.4 GHz wavelength, but that's a hassle-- imagine having to file for a special zoning waiver or something just to use an AirPort Base Station in your house. What's worse, permission is generally granted for "local, fixed networks," but things get a little hairier when it comes to wireless-enabled laptops which can be carried all over France, scrambling military communications at every turn and leaving the entire country's defenses in a state of utter higgledy-piggledy. (Well, actually, given AirPort's 150-foot range, that'd take some doing, but in theory it's a dire scenario indeed.)

But we've got some good news for French Macophiles itching for less-regulated AirPort use: according to a Macworld UK article dredged up by faithful viewer foniksonik, the French government is looking for ways to "relax the rules" restricting the use of the 2.4 GHz band. Apparently French technophiles are bummed at not being able to score wireless 'net access down at Le Starbucks (okay, fine, there are no Starbucks locations in France yet, but give 'em time, folks-- they're already across the Channel in England, and they spread like weeds), and so it's possible that relatively soon people will gain "the right to use wireless LAN technology to offer Internet access in heavily trafficked areas such as stations, airports, and hotels." Should that come to pass, we imagine that Apple France will enjoy a nice little uptick in AirPort sales shortly thereafter-- provided that the country doesn't get invaded because all of its military bases are scrambled, that is.