Yes and yes. In the US, 900-930MHz (nominally the 915MHz band) is available for use with no license required so encryption is fine (similar to your 2.4GHz or 5GHz wifi access point).
People interested in LoRa may also be interested in 802.11ah, or Wifi HaLOW
I have seen low power meshtastic devices serving things like BBSes on solar power, Iām not familiar enough with 802.11ah devices to know if solar would be feasible.
People interested in LoRa may also be interested in 802.11ah, or Wifi HaLOW