Community Networks and Local Access Monthly Newsletter - Number 8

Welcome to the eighth monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks.

1. Get involved 

• Fellowship for IETF 103, 3-9 November 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand. Read more.  

• Fellowships for the 3rd Summit of Community Networks, 2-7 September 2018 in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Read more.

• Call for resources for the IGF Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (deadline 5 August). Read more.

• Tecnologías Indígenas Comunitarias está buscando persona para la Coordinación Operativa. Read more.

2. Events and conferences

2.1 Upcoming events

• 3rd Summit of Community Networks in Africa, 2-8 September in Lubanzi, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Read more.

• Alternative Policy and Regulatory Strategies for Developing Countries in the Digital Economy, 6-8 September 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Read more. 

• 2nd Facebook OpenCellular Workshop, 11-12 September 2018 in Nairobi, Africa. Read more.

• ITU Telecom World 2018, 10-13 September 2018 in Durban, South Africa. Other side events will take place during this time, including the Connect Africa Summit, with presentations about community networks. Read more.

• 2018 Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica), 26-28 September, 2018 in Accra, Ghana. Read more.

• LACNOG, 24-28 September 2018 in Rosario, Argentina. Read more.

• 2nd Indigenous Connectivity Summit, 8-12 October 2018 in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, Canada. Read more.

• Radical Networks, 19-21 November 2018 in Berlin, Germany. Read more.

• The Internet Governance Forum 2018 will finally take place 12-14 November in Paris, France. Read more.

• [En español] Taller para América Latina y el Caribe (WALC), 26-30 de noviembre 2018 en Santo Domingo, República Dominicana. El mismo incluirá una capacitación en redes comunitarias. Read more. 

2.2 Resources from past events

• Sarantaporo Conference: Building the Community in Community Networks, 7-9 July 2018. Read more.

• The Global Access to the Internet for All (GAIA) Working Group met at IETF 102:
  - Agenda
  - Video of the session

• Session on community networks at CANTO 2018 in Panama on 24 July 2018. Read more.

• Community Networks: Connect the unconnected in Haiti: The ISOC Haiti Chapter organised an online conference with guest speaker Reynold Guerrier, who spoke about how to connect the unconnected in Haiti through community networks. Read more.

3. Community networks in news and blogs

• The 300 inhabitants of Michaelston y Fedw decided “enough was enough” when it came to their Wi-Fi and broadband, and they now have the fastest internet in Wales. Read more.

• Meeting Europe’s Connectivity Challenge: The role for community networks. Read more.              

• [En español] Inauguración del proyecto Comunidades Inteligentes que tiene como objetivo conectar con el mundo a comunidades rurales, remotas y desatendidas, donde no hay acceso a los principales servicios básicos. Leer más.

• [En español] Un nuevo ecosistema de internet para conectar a los no conectados: “La brecha digital no se va a cerrar haciendo lo mismo que en las últimas dos décadas, y es necesario desarrollar estrategias innovadoras con la activa participación de las comunidades interesadas en lograr acceso a Internet”, aseguró el director ejecutivo de LACNIC, Oscar Robles, durante el Congreso Latinoamericano de Telecomunicaciones realizado en Cuba. Leer más.

• TEDx Talk: “From net neutrality to network self-determination” with Luca Belli. Read more.         

• Opinion: Better internet service crucial for indigenous communities. Read more.

• Mozilla WINS finalists announced! And there are some pretty interesting community network projects and technologies there, among them Rhizomatica’s HERMES. Read more.

4. Relevant articles on technologies related to local access networks

• Study suggests buried internet infrastructure at risk as sea levels rise: Thousands of miles of buried fibre optic cable in densely populated coastal regions of the United States may soon be inundated by rising seas, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Oregon. Read more. 

• TV white spaces could revolutionise SA telecoms. Read more.

• Telkom Kenya to launch first Loon commercial service in Africa. Read more.

5. Reports relevant to community networks and local access initiatives

• Meeting Europe’s Connectivity Challenge: The role for community networks. Read more.

• Measuring the digital divide: Why we should be using a women-centred analysis. Read more. 

6. Previous editions

• Previous editions of this newsletter are available here. 

This newsletter is part of the project titled, “Local Access Networks: Can the unconnected connect themselves?” developed by APC in partnership with Internet Society and Rhizomática, with support from Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Invite others to subscribe to this monthly newsletter here!

One more thing! If you have comments about the newsletter or information relevant to the topic that you would like us to include in the next edition, please share it with us at localaccess.newsletter@apc.org.

July 2018. Association for Progressive Communications (APC)