Seeding change: Indigenous communities shaping digital futures through trust and relationships

In a world that feels more disconnected by the day, mediated by digital technologies that often separate us rather than bring us closer, fragmentation has become a silent strategy. If people do not meet, do not look at each other, do not listen deeply, it becomes harder to organise, to care and to imagine collective futures. That is why gathering matters. That is why meeting one another, sharing stories and building empathy is almost magical.

Between May and December 2025, APC member organisation Redes por la Diversidad, Equidad y Sustentabilidad AC (REDES AC) in Mexico witnessed this magic happening when it organised the “Indigenous Forum for Autonomy and the Political Agenda in Community Telecommunications”. This project, supported by APC's advocacy and institutional strengthening grants, was more than just a meeting: it was about building digital sovereignty. 

When Indigenous communicators, community radio collectives and community network organisers came together through this project, many arrived carrying hard realities: growing insecurity in their territories, pressure from extractive projects, shrinking public space for independent voices, and regulatory systems that feel distant and imposed. Communication is not only a profession for them: it is a way to protect their surroundings, language, memory and community life itself.

Rooted in communities 

This project convened a series of thematic sessions and dialogues bringing together Indigenous communicators, community media representatives, legal experts and civil society organisations. It created spaces throughout the year where people could breathe, reconnect and speak honestly about what they are facing. 

Among the activities, specialised training sessions were held, led by policy experts on topics including telecommunications regulation, spectrum access models, satellite policy, public broadcasting regimes and users’ rights. Beyond learning about laws and regulations, participants reflected on autonomy, community governance, and how communities have historically shaped change even when the legal system lagged behind. For many, this was the first time they experienced regulatory discussions not as something external, but as something they could understand, question and influence collectively.

One concrete regulatory concern relates to Indigenous mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs). Indigenous MVNOs are community-based telecommunications initiatives that provide mobile services without owning spectrum or core infrastructure, operating instead through agreements with existing carriers. In Mexico, Indigenous MVNOs such as Wiki Katat and TIC OMV represent a unique and pioneering model: they are among the only Indigenous-led mobile operators in the country, designed to expand connectivity in historically excluded territories while respecting community governance and collective rights. 

Their importance goes beyond connectivity, as they contribute to digital autonomy, local economic sustainability and culturally relevant communication services. However, because they operate with limited resources and under unfair regulatory conditions and face unfair competition from government-operated operators, their long-term sustainability remains fragile, which is why civil society organisations continue advocating for regulatory frameworks that recognise and protect these models.

Under the current law, users would be required to register and link their phone numbers to personal identity documents (birth certificate and national ID number/ CURP) – which is a problem for different reasons. First, in Mexico there are people in rural, remote and Indigenous communities who do not have their identity documents in order, which will directly restrict their right to communication and access to services. Second, we live in a surveillance context where journalists and land defenders are monitored by the state itself.[1] 

Linking personal identity to phone numbers would therefore create serious security risks for individuals and communities. Third, this requirement generates an additional administrative cost per user for Indigenous MVNOs, which already face economic sustainability challenges and unfair competition from government-operated services.

Based on the lived realities of local communities, in response, we submitted formal non-linkage requests (letters requesting exemption) seeking that Indigenous MVNO communities not be obligated to comply with mandatory identity-number linkage and that service not be suspended. In parallel, we contacted a pro bono legal firm to explore the possibility of filing a constitutional legal action, as these measures potentially violate constitutional principles and fundamental rights.

Collective resilience and Indigenous digital futures

One powerful shift emerged when Indigenous mobile operators and community radios began moving from uncertainty and concern into concrete collective action. Instead of waiting for new rules to be imposed, they organised, drafted formal exemption requests, sought legal support, and publicly defended their right to communication, privacy and safety. This transformed fear into agency, and isolation into coordinated action.

But perhaps the most meaningful change was not only technical or legal. It was emotional and relational. Participants rediscovered that they are not alone and that we all dream together of other possible worlds. “We are strengthening communication processes for the defence of territory, while also finding ways to influence the changes to the new law,” in the words of communicator Eloisa Diez,  who described this collective effort born from shared reflections.[2] They are part of a broader movement that defends communication as a common good and a pillar of community autonomy. “We speak of pain and oppression – but also of what we want to heal and to share,” they add in the collective text. 

This sense of belonging and shared responsibility strengthens resilience and directly impacts quality of life: communities protect their access to information, strengthen cultural expression, improve collective safety, and sustain their capacity to organise and care for one another.
The approach combining community-based political education, critical legal and regulatory environment analysis, collective reflection, and practical advocacy tools, can be adapted in other territories facing similar challenges. What travels is not only the methodology, but the conviction that communities can shape the law.

In times of uncertainty and fragmentation, choosing to gather, to listen and to act together is already a form of transformation. This project reminds us that digital futures are not only built with technology and laws, but also with relationships, trust and collective imagination. To hold our dreams of the world we are building with care.

Mariana López Lima holds a degree in law, and in media communication and production. She coordinates policy advocacy area at REDES AC, where she advances legal strategies and public policy initiatives to strengthen Indigenous and community-based communication. She has participated as a Mexican delegate at the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) and in regional spaces such as CITEL, as well as in international debates on platform regulation and digital governance. Her research has been published by LACNIC, and she has experience supporting communities in the development, management and defence of their own communication infrastructures.

Notes:

[1] The year 2024 was ranked as second deadly, alongside 2021, within the last decade of documented cases of attacks against environmental defenders and communities as recorded by CEMDA, with 25 lethal cases of aggression.

[2] From Woven Word, encapsulated by Eliosa Diez, collated from the shared reflections and exchanges of the participating collectives during the National Gathering of Community, Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Media, held from 16 to 20 July 2025, in Zautla, Puebla. 

This piece was provided by REDES A.C. as part of the project “Indigenous Forum for Autonomy and the Political Agenda in Community Telecommunications: Building Digital Sovereignty”, adapted for the “Seeding change” column. This column presents the experiences of APC members and partners who were recipients of funding through APC's subgranting programmes, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and of subgrants offered through other APC projects.

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