Federation Governance¶
FadianRoam is governed by its member sites through a democratic federation model.
Terminology¶
| Term | Chinese | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| FadianRoam | 发电漫游 | The roaming authentication federation — handles 802.1X, RADIUS proxy, SSID branding, and user management |
| FadianNet | 发电网络 | The BGP data backbone that provides network transport for FadianRoam |
| Site | 站点 | A complete deployment unit at a single location, consisting of the network endpoint (RADIUS server, gateway/router), local infrastructure (APs, switches, VLANs), and the user devices connecting through it |
| Governance Committee | 发电委员会 | The committee responsible for federation operations, strategic decisions, dispute resolution, and policy |
Principles¶
- FadianNet is a public good — BGP Sites collectively maintain the backbone infrastructure on a non-profit, mutual-aid basis
- FadianRoam is the business layer — Wi-Fi authentication, SSID branding, and user management operate on top of FadianNet
- Each Site is autonomous — members control their own users, registration policy, and local infrastructure
- Decisions are collective — membership changes require majority approval from existing members
Membership Admission¶
Application¶
A prospective member submits their application by opening a Pull Request to the federation repository with their members/<realm>.yml file. The application must include:
- Organization or individual name
- RADIUS realm and server details
- Network type (BGP Site or Access Member)
- Contact information
- Intended use (community, educational, commercial, etc.)
Voting¶
All existing FadianRoam Site representatives vote on the application:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Applicant submits PR with member YAML |
| 2 | Existing members review the application |
| 3 | Each member votes via GitHub PR review: Approve or Request Changes |
| 4 | Voting period: 3 days (or until threshold is reached) |
| 5 | If >50% of existing members approve → application is accepted |
| 6 | Maintainers merge the PR and begin onboarding |
Early Stage
The >50% threshold applies regardless of federation size. With 2 members, both must approve. With 3 members, at least 2 must approve.
Rejection¶
If an application does not reach the approval threshold:
- The applicant is notified with reasons
- The applicant may revise and resubmit after 30 days
- Repeated rejections may be escalated to the Governance Committee
FadianRoam Governance Committee¶
As the federation grows, core members will form the FadianRoam Governance Committee (发电委员会):
- Composition: Founding members and long-standing active contributors
- Role: Federation operations, strategic decisions, dispute resolution, commercial policy, billing rules
- Formation: Established once the federation reaches a critical mass of active members
FadianNet vs FadianRoam¶
FadianNet and FadianRoam are conceptually separate:
| FadianNet | FadianRoam | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | BGP data backbone | Wi-Fi roaming federation |
| Participants | BGP Sites (with ASN) | All Sites (BGP + Access) |
| Nature | Public good, mutual-aid | Business layer with usage policies |
| Maintenance | Collectively by BGP Sites | Governed by federation rules |
| Traffic | User data transport | 802.1X authentication + SSID |
| Cost model | Shared equally among BGP Sites | Usage-based, with fair-use limits |
FadianRoam runs on top of FadianNet — the SSID, authentication, and project identity belong to FadianRoam, while the actual data transport is carried by FadianNet.
Usage Policy & Fair Use¶
The spirit of FadianRoam is Fadian (发电) — powering your own use and sharing with each other. The federation billing system is not about real charges — it defines a reasonable hobby-use baseline and ensures the sustainability of shared infrastructure.
Billing System¶
Once the Governance Committee is established, a federation billing system will be introduced:
- The billing system tracks usage, it does not directly charge fees
- The federation defines a reasonable hobby-use baseline for each Site (bandwidth, user count, traffic, etc.)
- Usage within the baseline is completely free, covered by the collective FadianNet backbone
- Billing data is used for fair-use monitoring and federation transparency
Exceeding the Baseline¶
If a Site's usage exceeds the hobby-use baseline, the following process applies:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | The Site receives an over-baseline notification |
| 2 | Site submits an explanation ticket to YunZheng HelpCentre |
| 3 | Explain the reason: temporary spike or sustained need |
| 4 | Governance Committee (or maintainers in early stage) reviews |
| 5 | Approved or adjustment requested based on the situation |
Special Scenario Approval¶
The following scenarios can be approved for temporary over-baseline usage at no additional cost:
- FadianRoam's own offline meetups (member meetups, technical exchange events, etc.)
- Offline events in collaboration with FadianRoam (exhibitions, demos, community events, etc.)
- Temporary testing and debugging (new Site onboarding, stress testing, etc.)
To apply: submit a ticket to YunZheng HelpCentre in advance with event details and estimated usage.
Commercial Use¶
If a Site needs to use FadianRoam for commercial purposes (sustained high usage, paid services, etc.):
- Disclose commercial intent in the membership application
- Obtain Governance Committee approval
- Bear the corresponding network costs
- Comply with branding and service-level requirements
Support & Tickets¶
All federation support requests, applications, and escalations are handled through:
| Channel | Purpose |
|---|---|
| YunZheng HelpCentre | Tickets: membership applications, elevated use requests, technical support, disputes |
| GitHub Issues | Bug reports, feature requests, documentation improvements |
| Telegram Group | Informal discussion, quick questions, community chat |