Hi all,
The IGF Secretariat asked whether the DC3 is interested in submitting two paragraphs to be included in the IGF Report on Policy Options for Connecting the Next Billion(s), in order to explain how community networks can
support the UN Sustainable Development Goals in connecting and enabling more users.
Info on the IGF Connecting & Enabling the Next Billion(s) can be found here
http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/policy-options-for-connection-the-next-billion#framework
I think this could be a good opportunity. I prepared the paras below that you can modify (by 26 October) using this pad
https://public.etherpad-mozilla.org/p/Paragraphs_for_Connecting_the_Nex_Billion_Report
Community networks (CN) are a subset of crowdsourced networks, structured to be open, free, and neutral. Such networks rely on the active participation of local communities in the deployment
and management of the shared infrastructure as a common resource, owned by the community and operated in a democratic fashion. CNs can be operationalised, wholly or partly, through local private sector entities or public administrations and are characterised
by collective ownership; social management; open design and open participation; freedom of peering free transit as well as the utilisation of open source software and technologies.
Over the past decade, a variety of successful examples of CNs have emerged in all continents, exploiting many technical and governance configurations, as documented by the Report of the Dynamic
Coalition on Community Connectivity.* Such examples have demonstrated that CNs may be a viable option to connect the unconnected while truly empowering local communities. Notably, the establishment of CNs has proven that local stakeholders, including public
administrations, entrepreneurs and NGOs, may become protagonists of the development of Internet connectivity, build infrastructure form the first square mile. Furthermore, CNs have fostered the development of new services, applications and local content as
well as the creation of occupations, reaching several dozen jobs, as in the Guifi.net case. Therefore, CNs should be considered as a credible option for connecting the unconnected, while public policies should be crafted in order to facilitate rather than
hinder the establishment of CN, as suggested by the Declaration on Community Connectivity.**
*reference to the URL of the DC3 Report
**reference to the Guadalajara Declaration
Best
Luca
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Luca Belli, PhD |
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