Community networks newsletter: Communities shaping connectivity and appropriate technologies for environmental justice

Climate change is a reality. Floods, storms and droughts are affecting communities around the world, with rural and marginalised populations on the frontlines of these impacts. Communities struggling with these environmental challenges are also leading community-centred connectivity initiatives that by means of community-shaped technologies, local data collection and sustainable funding aim to catalyse social, economic and environmental benefits. 

In this edition, you will find stories of four Kenyan organisations addressing these environmental challenges, promoting the care of territories and strengthening community well-being by means of locally developed technologies, information and connectivity. We also invite you to explore the agenda of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026, a key global event deeply committed to digital inclusion that is just around the corner.

Welcome to the 93th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks and community-based initiatives.

Routing for Communities podcast

Community voices express their environmental concerns in various episodes of our Routing for Communities podcast, sharing how connectivity is supporting their efforts to protect their territories, ecosystems and ways of life. Amadiba Community Network serves as one example of this, by strengthening the community's struggle to defend their land, coastline and people through access to the internet.

Other episodes from Colombia, Indonesia and Kenya also featured connectivity initiatives that advance environmental care and environmental justice. Listen to these stories while we start to prepare a new season of the podcast, to continue amplifying the voices of communities and their efforts amid the challenges they are facing.

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

Tune in!

Community networks news and stories

• Four organisations from Kenya were selected to work in environment and climate justice with digital connectivity as an enabler: Digital Rurals, Kijiji Yeetu, Bahari CBO and Athi Community Network, with the support of Wireless Planet and Kungu Labs, provide a blueprint for how community-centred connectivity can serve as the backbone for environmental resilience. Read more. 
• One inspiring session at the Digital Rights Asia-Pacific Assembly (DRAPAC26) was the roundtable "Building Shared Community Network Ecosystems: From Local Practices to Collective Infrastructure". Common Room, ISEA and Servelots, among other APC members from the region, explored the evolution of community-led connectivity into vital shared infrastructure, collaborative learnings and scaling for resilience. Read more.
• From the coast of Katurei to the Saliguma Islands, West Sumatra, efforts to strengthen community connectivity continue through the technical training and digital literacy building at the Mentawai Community Internet School. Participants learned first-hand how to manage, maintain and overcome internet network challenges to ensure more stable, independent and sustainable access to information in the archipelago. Read more.
• The Centre for Information Technology and Development convened diverse groups of persons with disabilities to discuss their online accessibility needs and barriers. Supported by APC, the initiative seeks to raise awareness among government actors and promote equal digital access for all. Read more.
• The International Association of Women in Radio and TV – Kenya (IAWRTK) shared an overview of the Third National Community Networks Summit hosted by the Internet Society Kenya Chapter. Building on the community-driven spirit of previous editions in Akala and Mathare, the summit was convened under the theme: “Innovating for Grassroots Digital Access and Community Connectivity”. Read more.
• The launch of the iGO Public WiFi Network – a solar-powered internet service designed to keep communities connected, even when the power goes out – is a milestone of community connectivity in Tshikota. Built to address both digital exclusion and energy instability, the iGO network provides affordable, reliable internet access independent of South Africa's electricity grid. Read more.
• The publication “Community Interest Media: Emerging concepts and practices from the Global Majority (and friends)” was recently launched by APC and the IAWRTK. The report serves as an invitation to define, amplify and ground existing frameworks around community media and local content creation, as well as to address communities' need for access to connectivity, information and communication resources. Read more.
• Before the implementation of the Bruben Community Network, residents of Bruben and Mem-Chemfre in Ghana, located within island enclaves and surrounded by lakes and rivers, had long suffered from poor telecommunications access. While urban centres such as Accra and Kumasi continue to enjoy expanding digital services, rural communities still struggle with unreliable internet access, and limited opportunities to participate in the digital economy. Read more.
• From Colombia, the newly published National Community Network Strategy 2025-2027 offers a strategic roadmap aimed at consolidating and strengthening the community network movement in the country. Developed by Redes Comunitarias Colombia, and supported by Colnodo and the LocNet initiative, the Strategy outlines the efforts, actors and resources needed to build a collaborative ecosystem that enables and promotes community connectivity initiatives in the country. Read more. [Available in Spanish]

Gendered experiences

• Under the Agenda-WINNIG Project, CITAD conducted digital literacy and online safety training for girls and young women in a number of communities in the states of Kano and Bauchi, Nigeria. The training strengthens participants' effective use of digital tools and platforms and knowledge around digital hygiene, online safety and protection against cyber risks. Read more here, here and here.
• During the “Cultivating Connectivity: Bridging Gaps, Seeding Innovation and Harvesting a Smart Future” forum held in Nueva Ecija, the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) co-organised learning sessions on gender and community-centred connectivity among enterprises, government workers and students. During the event they also shared reflections from the EmpowerHer Project. Read more. 
• Research ICT Africa launched the “After Access qualitative study on gender and digital technologies: Ghana report”, sharing findings from a study that profiles 162 female adolescents, teachers, healthcare workers, women's collectives and entrepreneurs, and shows that women and girls in Ghana still face active barriers to productive digital use. Read more.
• A series of videos developed by ICT Watch and Common Room focused on the stories of women from communities in Indonesia. The videos were produced as the women participated in a workshop around communication tools, and share the testimonies of a community internet school activist from Southwest Sumba, an honorary teacher from Taliabu, and a leader of the Pulo Aceh community, reflecting on gender, access to connectivity and empowerment. Now available also in English. Watch them here.

Enabling policy and regulation

• The Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies in Colombia is moving forward with the allocation of licences for the use of the 900 MHz band, with the publication of a preliminary evaluation report. Of the 35 applications received from connectivity communities and public service providers, 12 meet the requirements and have been preliminarily approved. Read more. [Available in Spanish]
• A report produced by InternetLab and the Nupef Institute discusses the challenges of connectivity in the Legal Amazon region of Brazil, the impacts of Starlink's expansion, and the need for public policies aimed at guaranteeing rights. Developed within the scope of the Rede da Floresta project, the report brings together diagnoses and recommendations aimed at building connectivity policies more suited to the specificities of the Amazon region. Read more. [Available in Portuguese]
• “Alternative and Complementary Technologies for Last-Mile Connectivity in South Africa” is the focus of a recent report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) that examines persistent challenges related to affordability, infrastructure gaps and regulatory obstacles that have impeded the expansion of internet access in underserved communities in the country. It also provides recommendations and guidelines to address diverse connectivity needs. Read more. Read more.

Publications, research and toolkits

• “Financing the future of connectivity: A strategic playbook to compete with China and close the digital divide” is a report developed by the Digital Forensic Research Lab at the Atlantic Council that offers a road map for mobilising public and private resources to expand connectivity while reinforcing an open, interoperable and rights-respecting internet. APC was consulted on the civil society perspectives and on key and shared advocacy focus areas for digital inclusion. Read more.
• “Building a Free Internet of the Future” is a column on APC.org and now also a publication that collects a series of interviews published monthly by APC between 2024 and 2025. This series focuses on the experiences and perspectives of individuals and communities supported by the NGI Zero (NGI0) grants for free software, open data, open hardware and open standards projects – who are often absent from dominant technological narratives. Read more.
• The cancellation of RightsCon in Zambia this year is still reverberating amongst civil society activists who are grappling with the implications for their advocacy work. Like other networks across the globe, APC was impacted by the loss of an opportunity to meet and strategise face to face, to network with donors and other organisations, and to raise awareness about key advocacy issues that needed to be pushed forward on the global digital rights agenda. Read more.
• Cinemata, the Asia-Pacific civic media platform managed by EngageMedia, has been named in the final report of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression as an example of an emerging alternative platform in global information spaces. This recognition affirms the importance of sustaining independent, rights-respecting platforms that protect civic expression, cultural memory and community-led media circulation. Read more.
• Nearing the hurricane season, REDES A.C. from Mexico invites you to consult their Emergency Communications Manual for Resilient Community Networks. The organisation highlights the importance of this resource for community training on effective emergency management in its various phases, as well as to have resilient networks that allow for the rapid restoration or maintenance of communication. Read more. [Available in Spanish]

Events

• The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026 will take place from 6 to 9 July 2026 at the ITU Headquarters and Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland, and also online, bringing together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds supporting global digital cooperation. Find out about registration here. APC has put together an agenda of shared concerns here, featuring community-centred connectivity as a key focus area in sessions like these: Digital inclusion in an unequal world, Digital justice and cultural integrity and , Sustainable financing for digital development among others.
• The session on Digital inclusion as a driver of community development – organised by the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Rhizomatica and APC – will highlight lessons learned, good practices and community experiences emerging from the blended training programmes and bootcamps developed in Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa. Read more.
• The 2026 Global Gathering will take place from 4 to 6 September in Estoril, Portugal. Applications are open with June 30 as a hard deadline. Read more.
• The World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF-26) will take place from 2 to 4 September 2026 in Nassau, the Bahamas, convened by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Read more.
• NetHope Global Summit is taking place from 26 to 29 October 2026 in Amsterdam and virtually on 3 November 2026. Read more.
• The Mozilla Festival 2026 will be held in Barcelona from 28 to 30 October 2026. Read more.
• The 21st annual Internet Governance Forum will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 14 to 18 December 2026. Read more.

Funding opportunities

• The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration has announced two new funding opportunities: the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and the Native Entities Grant Program. Open from 17 June to 17 September 2026. Awards will be made on a rolling basis beginning Spring 2027. Read more.
• The Rapid Response Fund for the protection of digital rights in Latin America (FRR) provides support to activists and civil society organisations facing emergencies that cannot be met by traditional funding cycles, contributing to activities such as participation in public policy discussions, advocacy and research in urgent situations. The call for proposals is open continuously. Read more. [Available in Spanish]
• Urgent Action Fund Africa provides financial support for strategic interventions that take advantage of opportunities to advance women’s human rights. It offers three types of grants: Rapid Response Grants, Protection Grants and Advocacy and Alliance Building Grants. Read more. 
• Extended deadline: The IEEE Connecting the Unconnected Challenge calls for early-stage projects that pursue unique ways to increase broadband access and usage for unconnected or under-connected areas. The portal for submitting proposals will be open for presenting 500-word abstracts until 17 July 2026. Start-ups, grassroots organisations, universities and others working toward digital inclusion in original ways are encouraged to participate. Read more.

Community networks learning repository

Communities delivering capacity building develop their own resources that are thoroughly planned and specially tailored for their communities. In doing so, they also take advantage of resources developed by other experiences. The 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.

In line with the focus of this edition, we invite you to visit the repository and check out a Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3) publication focused on Community networks: building digital sovereignty and environmental sustainability that aims to provide an essential perspective to the community networks debate: their role as drivers of commons-based notions of digital sovereignty and environmental sustainability.

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

Find out more!