Community Network and Democratising Access: Addressing the Question of Sustainability
| Autor | Sana Alam and Osama Manzar |
| Páginas | 73-82 |
73
Community Network and Democratising Access: Addressing the Question of Sustainability
4 Community Network and Democratising
Access: Addressing the Question of
Sustainability
Sana Alam37 and Osama Manzar38
4.1 Abstract
Community Networks (CNs) are local telecommunications
infrastructures that are built, managed and used by local communities
successfully delivering access to underserved areas, especially in
areas for which commercial internet service providers remain a
distant dream (Web Foundation, 2019; Tréguer & Rosnay, 2019).
However, despite its long dated history, there has been a constant
issue of public funding. In India, Digital Empowerment Foundation
(DEF) has played a pivotal role in building and supporting CNs as
well as advocating for self-sustaining internet models akin to CNs.
A recent scheme called Prime Minister – Wi-Fi Access Network
Interface (PM-WANI) has shown a way forward for the CNs and
their persistent issue of lack of public funding. This paper is going
to explore this scheme, its potential and its working on the ground
and, most importantly, how this mirrors the CN model.
4.2 Introduction
As the world is increasingly moving towards digitalisation, it becomes
imperative to connect all sections of society with Information
Technology infrastructure as well as tools operated within that sphere.
And, as the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns
coerced the world to shift its operations to the digital space, it also
widened the creaks of the inequitable society that makes up the
marginalized and unconnected ones.
However, there are certain models of technology that have been
proven to bridge the digital divide, further fostering the socio-
economic development of the community, and Community Networks
(CNs) are one of such models. CNs are the local telecommunications
37 Research Officer with DEF.
38 Founder and Director at New Delhi-based Digital Empowerment Foundation which works on
access, governance and digital rights.
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