A land where white pines easily outnumber wireless computer users, New Hampshire may seem an unlikely haven for the free networking movement.

But the state, known for its Live Free or Die motto, could become the first in the United States to provide legal protection for people who tap into insecure wireless networks.

A bill that's breezing through New Hampshire's legislature says operators of wireless networks must secure them -- or lose some of their ability to prosecute anyone who gains access to the networks.

House Bill 495 would, experts say, effectively legalize many forms of what's known as war driving -- motoring through an inhabited area while scanning for open wireless access points.

Increasingly popular with businesses and consumers, wireless networks use radio waves to transmit data between computers in a network. The convenient, low-cost equipment often is deployed to allow employees or household members to share a single Internet connection.

To simplify installation, wireless systems typically ship without any security features enabled. Because the radio waves broadcast by wireless base stations are relatively powerful, it's not uncommon for residential neighbors or adjacent businesses to inadvertently connect to each other's wireless networks.

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