[DC3] Request for establishment of the IGF Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3)

Dear Chengetai, Dear Secretariat, This email is to formally request the establishment of the Dynamic Coalition on Community Conncetivity (DC3). Please, find both in attachment and below the elements necessary for the creation of the DC3. A dedicated website will be set up as soon as possible. Please, let me know if you need any further information. Kind regards, Luca Request for establishment of the IGF Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3) The necessity of creating the DC3 The need for a Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3) emerged during the IGF workshop 223 "Community Networks: a Revolutionary Paradigm", held in João Pessoa, during the 10th IGF. Workshop participants agreed on the potential of community networks in order to promote sustainable Internet connectivity and foster the full enjoyment of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and self-determination. To this extent participants stressed the need to move forward the discussion on community networks and further analyse how such networks may be used to foster sustainable Internet connectivity while empowering Internet users. During the workshop, consensus emerged with regard to the need for international cooperation aimed at fostering synergy and coordination amongst different community networks. Such cooperation may be particularly useful in order to identify: • best practices for the development and maintenance of community networks; • sustainable organisational and financial models for community networks; • efficient software and hardware technology. To address the aforementioned issues while fostering cooperation, many participants expressed interest with regard to the establishment of a new IGF Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity. Action Plan The Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3) emerged as an outcome of the IGF workshop 223 "Community Networks: a Revolutionary Paradigm", held in João Pessoa, during the 10th IGF. The DC3 has been created in order to foster multistakeholder analysis of the various types and models of community networks, with the aim of identifying and promoting best practices and sustainable approaches to Internet connectivity in the context of communities. The DC3 participants will foster joint efforts aimed at: * • Making Community Networks (CN) visible to policy makers so they can be properly considered as an actor in the telecommunications ecosystem. * • Identifying good open-access resources that may be useful to communicate to non-techies what CN are and how they work; * • Mapping existing CN and try to foster communication amongst them, promoting strategies to achieve common goals; * • Identifying models of CN (e.g. rural CN, urban CN, etc.) and best practices that can make them particularly efficient and resilient both from a technical and organizational perspective; * • Identifying best practices and worst practices as regards national and international policies that facilitate or hinder the deployment of community networks. * • Consolidating and publishing these ideas into some ‘Community Network Guidelines/Best practices’ to be presented at the next IGF and divulgated on the future DC3 website. * • Supporting CN gatherings and hands-on work meetings at a regional and global level. * • Addressing common technology development needs, from identifying technological bottlenecks to helping find the resources needed to solve them in a manner that will be beneficial to the sector as a whole. * • Develop a framework for easy access to promote the deployment of CN in remote areas Members Technical Community Bob Frankston, IEEE Consumer Electronics Society Frédéric Donck, ISOC Civil Society Nicolás Echániz, Altermundi Ritu Srivastava, Digital Empowerment Foundation Kevin Bankston, New America Foundation Raoul Plommer, Electronic Frontier Finland Leandro Navarro, UPC, community-lab.net and guifi.net Mike Jensen, Association for Progressive Communications (APC) Parminder Jeet Singh, IT4Change Academia Janara Sousa, Universidade de Brasília Catherine Middleton, Ryerson University Diego Vicentin, UNICAMP Nathalia Foditsch, American University Luca Belli, Center for Technology & Society, Fundação Getulio Vargas Jamila Venturini, Center for Technology & Society, Fundação Getulio Vargas Henrique Mohr, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria Private Sector Edliano Valeriano Azevedo da Silva, Systems Analyst Maureen Hernandez, Systems Engineer Intergovernmental Organisations Lee Hibbard, Council of Europe Mailing list https://listas.altermundi.net/mailman/listinfo/dc3 Contact Person Luca Belli luca.belli@fgv.br<mailto:luca.belli@fgv.br> DC3 Co-coordinators Luca Belli, Center for Technology & Society, Fundação Getulio Vargas Nicolás Echániz, Altermundi Parminder Jeet Singh, IT4Change Ritu Srivastava, Digital Empowerment Foundation