Community broadband provides a local solution for a global problem
Esther Jang is affiliated with the University of Washington and Local Connectivity Lab. In the past she has received funding from the Internet Society, IEEE Connecting the Unconnected, King County, and City of Seattle grants in support of community networks.
Katherine Gillieson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
According to a 2023 study by the International Telecommunications Union, approximately 2.6 billion people are unconnected to the internet. It’s a staggering figure.
There are many reasons for this, including poverty, reliability of service, access to linguistically and culturally relevant content, leisure time, access to equipment and training. But perhaps the most debilitating barrier is access to network infrastructure.
One way communities are overcoming network access barriers is by creating networks themselves. A digital network built and operated by the people who use it is a collective response to what is often a systemic problem. Communities are building and operating their own broadband networks all over the world.
