local access
You are probably reading this right now either from your phone, tablet or laptop, with an average speed of 2 Mbps (at least, and even more than 10 Mbps if you are in the USA, Canada or Europe) and you most likely feel frustrated every time you cannot load a webpage. Trust me, I can relate. But what would you do if I told you that you are part of the 47% of people that are privileged enough to be online and that there are still 3.9 billion people who lack internet access? [1] You are alm...
Access to the internet for local communities has been a challenge for decades for those working to achieve equal rights for all people, especially when dealing with groups that are affected, in one way or another, in terms of their access to such rights. In this respect there is a well-trodden pathway bringing together technological and community experiences in order to collaborate in the strengthening of such groups. Two milestones on this journey have been telecentres and community networks...
Indigenous Community Telecommunications (ICT), a civil society association in Mexico, has withstood an important legal battle for the right of indigenous communities to establish and manage their own community networks of mobile phones and internet. ICT, which provides voice and data services at affordable costs in remote areas of southern Mexico, obtained a special legal protection (or amparo,...
Welcome to the fifth monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks. Categories 1. Get involved Digital Empowerment Foundation is calling for sessions for their Digital Citizen Summit. The deadline to submit your session proposal is 30 April 2018. Read more. 2. Calls for grants The Beyond the Net Medium and Large Grants Programme is now open for applications until 1...
Categories 1. Get involved [En español] Se encuentra abierto el período de consultas para la definición de temas de la agenda de la undécima versión del Foro de gobernanza de internet en LAC. Uno de los aspectos incluídos en la consulta pública para definir temas se relaciona a acceso: Mejores prácticas y experiencias en la operación de redes comunitarias. pueden ingresar a...
Categories 1. Get involved Call for book chapter proposals: Global Information Society Watch, ‘a space for collaborative monitoring or implementation of international (and national) commitments made by governments towards the creation of an inclusive information society’ will be releasing the 2018 annual issue under the topic ‘Community Networks’. A call for proposals for countr...
As I am observing the diverse research projects that are emerging in Africa in relation to community networks (CNs), I am compelled to write this short commentary. I have worked in Zenzeleni Networks as a gender analyst for +/- 2 years. As a black African feminist scholar, I was invited to explore and analyze gender dynamics within Zenzeleni Networks. The research focuses on participation of wo...
Categories 1. Get involved In 2015, the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF)’s Best Practice Forum (BPF) on Gender investigated online abuse and gender-based violence [see the output report here], and in 2016 the BPF considered women’s meaningful access to the internet [see the output report here]. In 2017, the Gender BPF decided to delve deeper into access c...
Categories 1. Get involved The submission of initiatives and projects to the WSIS Prizes contest is open until 2 January 2018. Read more. 2. Calls for grants Facebook's Telecom Infra Project has released a call for applications for grants for those interested in deploying their own OpenCellular solution. Read more. Microsoft’s Airband Initiative is welcoming ap...
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is mobilising for the 12th annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Geneva, Switzerland, on 18 to 21 December 2017. This page is your go-to resource, compiling: APC's priorities for the 12th Internet Governance Forum, Geneva, 2017 A schedule of events that APC is hosting and co-organising before and during the IGF A...
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) 2018
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