Local access and community networking

During a conversation with APCNews, Carlos Rey-Moreno and Steve Song explain how the spectrum works, explore the history of its regulation and share their cautious optimism about a “significant uptick in the growth and sustainability of community networks.”

Internet access specialist Mike Jensen elaborates on the need for “more tools in the spectrum briefcase”, the challenges of changing restrictive regulation and the other key factors to developing connectivity beyond access to spectrum.

Peter Bloom highlights trends in spectrum regulation, the importance of empowering communities to govern their own telecommunications, and the need to see spectrum as “a potential to communicate over the airwaves” rather than a commodity to be owned. 

This research paper is an effort to look closely at the telecom policy, regulatory framework, spectrum policy, broadband definitions and innovative licensing processes that are affecting community networks in these three countries.

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) welcomes the initiative by the Internet Governance Forum's Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) to further develop ‎the IGF’s intersessional work on “Policy Options for Connecting and Enabling the Next ‎Billion(s)”.

Written submission by Zenzeleni Networks, the Association for Progressive Communications, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Cape Town and Rhizomatica on the policy directions to the authority on licensing of unassigned high-demand spectrum.

A critical policy and regulatory issue for community networks is that of access to and use of spectrum. This crucial issue was addressed by the roundtable “Spectrum for Community Networks: A 'Must' That Is Hard to Get”, co-organised by APC and the Internet Society, which took place on Day 1 of the IGF 2018.