Community networks newsletter: Raising the voices of community-centred connectivity initiatives in policy advocacy

At ZASDIP, community network practitioners shared their experiences and built skills to advocate for community-centred, inclusive, and meaningful connectivity. In Colombia, communities are advocating for better conditions to access spectrum.

On their path to achieving connectivity, community-led initiatives face very specific needs: the development of skills, access to financial support, and the existence of enabling policies and regulatory frameworks. Each of these can promote or constrain the growth of community networks. Within the policy domain in particular, the way in which key resources such as spectrum and licensing are regulated shapes the extent to which community-based models can emerge, operate and grow.

This is a central focus of the work that communities have undertaken to strengthen their initiatives. And it was also the main aim of the first edition of the South Africa School of Digital Policy 2026 – Community Networks Edition (ZASDIP 2026/CN): to bring communities into the conversation on policy. The same concern is present in Colombia, Nigeria, the Philippines and other countries, where local ICT ecosystems are working to build the policy conditions needed for a concrete, locally rooted connectivity alternative – one that reaches areas and regions historically overlooked by commercial providers.

Grounded in the certainty that existing experiences provide critical evidence for policy making, community-centred connectivity initiatives (CCCIs) are increasingly calling for a more active role in shaping the regulatory environment, advocating for the conditions needed to ensure inclusive access to technology and their long-term sustainability and growth.

Welcome to the 91st monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks and community-based initiatives.

Routing for Communities podcast

Our Routing for Communities podcast hosts the narratives of experiences from communities all around the world driving connectivity initiatives, alongside reflections of those committed to accompanying them. Several stories shed light on how these communities face the limits that come from the policy field and advocate to transform them.

The episodes about the Wiki Katat Indigenous virtual operator in Mexico and AlterMundi in Argentina (both also available in Spanish here and here) reflect this. Meanwhile, the episode about CITAD in Nigeria reflects on the importance of women in building enabling policy and regulation, and episode 4 of season 2 delves into the importance of regulation and public policies to strengthen the CCCIs movement.

Find these and all the episodes of both seasons here. And remember they are also available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify.

Tune in!

Community networks news and stories

The South Africa School of Digital Policy (ZASDIP 2026/CN) has completed its first-ever Community Networks edition with the presence of Ministers of Communications for the certificate handover. The programme brought together fellows from South Africa's community networks alongside faculty from leading organisations in the local internet policy ecosystem. Meet them here and read more about the School here. We will be sharing the voices of communities from the ZASDIP soon. Meanwhile you can witness the energy of the event in the highlights registered in this video.
In Indonesia, a partnership between Relawan TIK, the School of Community Networks, the Rembuk Nusa coalition and the Local Networks (LocNet) initiative kicked off the CCCIs online learning programme. The opening session brought together 21 participants from nine locations, introducing two foundational modules on Basic Networking and Basic Network Security. Read more.
Also from Indonesia, Common Room Networks Foundation hosted a gathering on "Using Technology for Climate Resilience", which took place at Malabar, Bandung City. The gathering was organised as a dialogue space to map communities that share this interest, while also exploring potential collaborations in research, development and use of technology by rural and remote communities. Read more.
More narratives and reminiscences are being shared from the Nairobi bootcamp that closed the Blended Training for ICT Network Managers in Indigenous and Rural Communities in Africa. Connect Humanity, who joined APC, Rhizomatica and AFRALTI to deliver a “mini MBA” in finance for CCCIs, reflected on the experience. Read more. Gustaff H. Iskandar from Common Room also shared his experience on their participation in the bootcamp. Read more.
After being part of the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) edition of the bootcamp that closed the Blended Training for ICT Network Managers held in Puebla, Mexico, a participant from Salta, Argentina, shared a reflection in a local mainstream media. “Del norte argentino a Puebla: redes que se tejen desde abajo para disputar la comunicación”. Read more. [Available in Spanish]
The Third Forum on Telecommunications in Rural Areas and Indigenous Communities, held after the LAC Bootcamp, established a space for regional dialogue on community connectivity and communication, bringing together representatives from national and global institutions along with local operators such as Wiki Katat. Read more. [Available in Spanish and in English]. You can also watch the whole Forum here.
The Workshop on Designing Connectivity Strategies for the Americas Region was held in Panamá. The workshop brought together regulators and policy makers and concluded with a dialogue that included representatives of Indigenous peoples from Panama, including participants from the Emberá and Gunayala communities. Read more. [Available in Spanish]
In August 2024, the LocNet initiative made a closed call to existing partners and networks from Brazil, South Africa, Kenya and Indonesia for the submission of micro-grant proposals on CN/CCCI implementation support, capacity building, gender and research. Enjoy the stories of these projects from the voices of those who led them. Read more.
From Mankosi, South Africa, the Dell Solar Community Hub is an off-grid computer lab providing rural communities with internet access, digital literacy training, student support and refurbished laptops. The initiative is run by Zenzeleni Community Networks, through a circular economy programme. Refurbished laptops are donated by Dell, through Computer Aid International, helping local partners to offset operational costs and ensuring that people own quality devices. Read more.
Also from South Africa, a partnership of the Teen Entrepreneur Foundation and AdNotes with support from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office announced the selection of 25 local community network operators for the Advancing Sustainable Connectivity and Community-Led Digital Economies project. Read more.
The third JUNTANZA festival and the Laboratorio de la Fuerza Interterritorial de la Comunicación are spaces where community voices from Latin America come together to share knowledge, build networks and strengthen the right to communicate. Comunicares dedicates an article to these events that seed a collective horizon to make Abya Yala flourish in communication initiatives. Read more. [Available in Spanish]
The COP30 held in Belém do Pará included a growing agenda that linked environmental justice with connectivity. The coverage developed by a partnership of Rede Wayuri and LocNet ended with a reflection around the challenges of achieving meaningful connectivity for the communities most affected by climate change and environmental harm. Originally written in Portuguese, the article is available in Spanish and was recently also translated into English.

Gendered experiences

As digital transformation accelerates, the cost of exclusion is no longer theoretical. It is measurable, growing and urgent. “Beyond Resilience: The Rising Cost of Digital Exclusion for Women in the Global Majority” is a new report launched by the Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP). The report is a call to action for governments, investors and development partners. Read more.
From 28 to 29 March, women from the Itas and Jama’are communities in Nigeria came together for a Digital Microenterprise Training organised by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD). The training was designed to equip women with practical digital skills that can help them grow their businesses, increase their income, and build more secure futures for their families. Read more.
“Building infrastructure skills together” is the proposal that AFCHIX is launching for bringing together women for a series of hands-on technical online workshops and a mentorship panel focused on configuration management, peering and internet exchange points (IXPs). These sessions are designed to strengthen practical infrastructure skills while creating space for learning, connection and career growth within the internet ecosystem. Read more.
The LocNet initiative invites individuals, collectives and groups to contribute their writing on “Women in community-centred connectivity initiatives: Hope, realities and the possibilities driving change”. The call is aimed at nurturing a GenderIT.org edition with stories, analyses and critical reflections that illuminate how women in CCCIs are meeting the current moment in the world. Submissions may take the form of narrative pieces, photo and audio essays or illustrated stories. Read more.

Enabling policy and regulation

Colnodo has extensively been supporting community networks exploring the use of the 900 MHz band to improve connectivity in rural areas. After a public consultation launched by the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies, on 10 April 2026, Resolution 1263 was published, inviting organised community-led connectivity initiatives and community networks to express their interest in participating in this process. Read more. [Available in Spanish]
The Minister of Communications and Digital Technology of South Africa has published the Electronic Communications Amendment (ECA) Bill 2026. The Bill defines community networks as not-for-profit entities and exempts them from licensing requirements. This substantially lowers barriers to entry for community-driven initiatives. The bill also mandates spectrum sharing with secondary licensees, prioritising small networks. Read more.

Publications, research and toolkits

“Community Network Initiatives: A Sustainable Path to Bridging Ghana’s Digital Divide” is an article developed by Abubakari Saddiq Adams, one of the participants of the bootcamp in Nairobi, who addresses the definition, visions and potential of community networks in the policy and regulatory context of Ghana. Read more.
Through a collaboration between GenderIT.org, APC.org and Global Voices, the series "Don't ask AI, ask a peer" was launched with clear aims: to reflect on how to deal with the growing volume of content generated by large learning models, while addressing the very human need to feel connected, as part of a community in this context. The series poses two basic questions: Why is it vital to value human creativity and connection in the age of AI? What could be done to create a human rights approach to AI? Read more.
The symposium “Our Common Future: Advocating for Digital Rights and AI Accountability”, convened by WACC, drew to a close with a shared commitment to advocacy, education and networking among ecumenical organisations and civil society actors. It brought together representatives from ecumenical networks and partners, organised by WACC in collaboration with the World Council of Churches, Association of Protestant Churches and Missions in Germany and Brot für die Welt. Read more.

Events

CryptoRave 2026 will be held on 8-9 May in São Paulo, Brazil. It is an open and free event with activities about security, cryptography, hacking, anonymity, privacy and freedom on the internet. Read more.
The Freifunk community will meet at the Wireless Community Weekend 2026 unconference and hackathon. Its 20th edition is taking place at the c-base space station in Berlin from 15 to 17 May. Read more.
This year's edition of the re:publica festival will be held from 18 to 20 May at STATION Berlin, hosting talks, panels, workshops, meetups, an expo area and makerspaces. Read more.
The Africa Tech Policy Summit, organised by KICTANet, will be held from 19 to 21 May in Nairobi, Kenya. Read more.
The 2026 edition of the Digital Rights Asia-Pacific (DRAPAC) Assembly will be held in Manila from 8 to 10 June. Read more.
The 2026 Global Gathering is open for applications. It will take place from 4 to 6 September in Estoril, Portugal. Read more. The Equity Fund from Team CommUNITY provides one-to-one travel, lodging, security and visa assistance for individuals from at-risk communities or operating in low-resourced environments who would not be able to attend the Global Gathering otherwise. Read more.

Funding opportunities

The Internet Society Foundation launched its Community-Centered Connectivity Grant Program with the main objective of solving availability, affordability and adoption as the major barriers to meaningful connectivity for communities. Organisations are invited to apply to one of the three funding tracks, based on their organisation’s capacity and experience and the scale and duration of the project they propose. A quiz is offered to explore which funding track best aligns with each project. The deadline for applying is 7 May 2026 at 21:00 UTC. Read more.
The Community Advocacy Fellowship is an initiative that aims to support communities with knowledge and hands-on skills to build and defend a reliable, affordable, secure and safe internet. Applicants selected will spend six months participating in virtual learning and will attend one in-person event. The application deadline is coming soon: 3 May 2026. Read more.
The IEEE Connecting the Unconnected Challenge calls for early-stage projects and concepts that pursue unique ways to increase broadband access and usage for unconnected or under-connected areas. The portal for submitting proposals is open for presenting 500-word abstracts by 19 June 2026. Start-ups, grassroots organisations, universities and others working toward digital inclusion in original ways are encouraged to participate. Read more.
A reminder: the 13th call of the NGI Zero Commons Fund is open for the proposal of FLOSS projects. The deadline for applications is 1 June 2026 at 12:00 CEST (noon). Read more.

Community networks learning repository

This learning repository is a collective online space designed to store and exchange training resources, with a focus on materials created by and for community networks.

Impact on regulations and public policy is a strong focus of several publications and capacity-building proposals to accompany communities in their advocacy initiatives to participate in policy shaping and advocate for communities’ needs. The repository includes resources from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and countries in Southern Africa, among others.

You can also contribute to the growth of the repository by submitting your own materials, from publications to training toolkits, in any language.

This newsletter is part of the Local Networks initiative (LocNet), a collective effort led by APC and Rhizomatica in partnership with grassroots communities and support organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. It aims to directly support meaningful community-centred connectivity initiatives, while contributing to an enabling ecosystem for their emergence and growth.

Previous editions of this newsletter are available here.

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