I’m not suggesting anyone should or shouldn’t do anything, nor that I’m not grateful for people that do. Just saying it’s a potential downside that people should seriously consider before hosting any public access systems.

They’re protected under the same rules as somebody running a WiFi hotspot at a coffee shop. As long as they are doing everything within reason to be a good steward of their local network (which is what Gabe is doing) then they are protected

Hopefully, yeah. But again, there’s still this potential of the coffee shop of having all their equipment seized and having to deal with a law enforcement investigation and maybe even the courts. Even if the risk of actual jail time and monetary penalties is low, it’s something people should consider before doing it.

This is one of the reasons I’m not running a public access network or TOR exit node at home even if I think those are worthwhile things to do.