Community Networks: the Internet by the People, for the People Official Outcome of the UN IGF Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity United Nations Internet Governance Forum Geneva, December 2017 Edition produced by FGV Direito Rio Praia de Botafogo, 190 | 13th floor Rio de Janeiro | RJ | Brasil | Zip code: 22250-900 55 (21) 3799-5445 www.fgv.br/direitorio Community Networks: the Internet by the People, for the People Official Outcome of the UN IGF Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity Edited by Luca Belli Preface by Kathryn Brown and Jan Dröge FGV Direito Rio Edition Licensed in Creative Commons Attribution — NonCommercial — NoDerivs Printed in Brazil 1st edition finalized in 2017, November This book was approved by the Editorial Board of FGV Direito Rio, and is in the Legal Deposit Division of the National Library. Coordination: Rodrigo Vianna, Sérgio França e Thaís Mesquita Book cover: Andreza Moreira Layout: Andreza Moreira Reviewer: Luca Belli Ficha catalográfica elaborada pela Biblioteca Mario Henrique Simonsen/FGV Community networks: the Internet by the people, for the people. Official outcome of the UN IGF Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity / Edited by Luca Belli; preface by Kathryn Brown and Jan Dröge. – Rio de Janeiro : Escola de Direito do Rio de Janeiro da Fundação Getulio Vargas, 2017. 242 p. Inclui bibliografia. ISBN: 978-85-9597-010-6 1. Internet – Política governamental. 2. Redes de computadores – Aspectos sociais. 3. Telecomunicações. 4. Comunicação no desenvolvimento da comunidade. I. Belli, Luca. II. Escola de Direito do Rio de Janeiro da Fundação Getulio Vargas. CDD – 384.3 The opinions expressed in this book are the responsibility of the authors. The Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3) is a component of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum and this book is the official 2017 outcome of the DC3. This volume is the result of the annual DC3 Call for Papers, which is open to all interested stakeholders. Submitted papers have been evaluated for their novelty and their academic rigor as well as for the impact that the initiatives described in the paper may have. All accepted submissions have been peer- reviewed. For further information on DC3, see www.comconnectivity.org Acknowledgements This book reflects many of the ideas discussed by the members of the Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3) of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, between 2016 and 2017. The editor would like to express gratitude to all the DC3 members for their precious inputs. Furthermore, the editor would like to thank the Fundação Getulio Vargas Law School,1 which has provided the support and guidance, stimulating this research effort. Lastly, the Editor would like to express gratitude to the Internet Society for generously supporting the publication of this book. 1 FGV is a world-renowned institution of research and quality education. In 2016, FGV was deemed as one of the top 10 think tanks in the world, according to the Global Go To Think Tanks Index 2016, produced by the Pennsylvania University. The Index also ranked FGV as the most influential think tank in Latin America over the past eight years. For further information, see http://portal. fgv.br/ 7 CONTENT PREFACE by Kathryn Brown .......................................................................................................................... 9 PREFACE by Jan Dröge ....................................................................................................................................... 13 ABOUT THE AUTHORS ........................................................................................................................................ 15 1 Introducing the Evolving Community Network Debate .................... 23 Luca Belli PART I: Benefits, Challenges and Opportunities for Community Networks ...................................................................................................................................................... 33 2 Network Self-Determination and the Positive Externalities of Community Networks ..................................................................................................... 35 Luca Belli 3 Barriers for Development and Scale of Community Networks in Africa ................................................................................................................................................. 65 Carlos Rey-Moreno 4 Community Networks as a Key Enabler of Sustainable Access ...... 77 Michael J. Oghia 5 Can the Unconnected Connect Themselves? Towards an Action Research Agenda for Local Access Networks .............................................. 103 Carlos Rey-Moreno, Anriette Esterhuysen, Mike Jensen, Peter Bloom, Erick Huerta and Steve Song 6 The Success of Community Mobile Telephony in Mexico and its Plausibility as an Alternative to Connect the Next Billion .............. 119 Erick Huerta, Peter Bloom and Karla Velasco PART II: Case Studies: Building Connectivity in a Bottom-up Fashion ................. 151 7 Policy Gaps and Regulatory Issues in the Indian Experience on Community Networks .................................................................................................... 153 Ritu Srivastava 8 Community-Led Networks for Sustainable Rural Broadband in India: the Case of Gram Marg ................................................................................... 193 Sarbani Banerjee Belur, Meghna Khaturia and Nanditha P. Rao 9 Comparing Two Community Network Experiences in Brazil........ 207 Bruno Vianna 10 Beyond the Invisible Hand: the Need to Foster an Ecosystem Allowing for Community Networks in Brazil ...................................................... 217 Nathalia Foditsch 11 Diseño e Implementación de una Aplicación Web para la Visualización Mundial de Despliegues de Redes Comunitarias ....... 227 Maureen Hernandez 12 DECLARATION ON COMMUNITY CONNECTIVITY ...................................................... 237 13 MAIN ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................ 241 Community Networks: the Internet by the People, for the People 9 PREFACE by Kathryn Brown Putting People at the Heart of the Internet For 25 years the Internet Society has been home to a global community of people who are driven by a common idea: that when people obtain access to the Internet, amazing things can happen. Through the Internet, we can do things like share ideas, build communities, make tools we have not even dreamed of, and deliver healthcare or help children stay in school. There is no question that relationships between humans and technology increasingly defines the world around us and that for a large swath of the globe, the Internet has become core to how people interact socially, conduct business and organize politically. We believe that everyone, everywhere should have access to same opportunities that the global information network we know as the Internet brings. In 2015 the world made an important promise to itself. The United Nations set out 17 Global Goals – the Sustainable Development Goals – aimed at achieving extraordinary things in the next 15 years, including fighting injustice and inequalities, ending climate change, beating discrimination, bringing in sustainable energy, and making sure no one goes hungry. We are now into the second year of working to keep that global promise. It is an enormous task. Rough estimates say that we will need at least $1 trillion in additional annual investment in developing and emerging economies to achieve them, so it’s not surprising that many wonder whether achieving these noble goals is even possible. The Internet Society says it is. We know and work with people empowered by the Internet every day who believe the same. The Internet itself is an enabler for the Goals. We will be able to get there faster and in a way that lasts, if everyone can access the Internet and benefit from it. In fact, SDG 9 focuses on the Community Networks: 10 the Internet by the People, for the People important role infrastructure and connectivity plays in connecting the least connected places on the planet. Here is the good news: according to a UN report on SDG 9 – in 2016, 95% of the worlds’ population and 85% of people in the least developed countries were covered by a mobile signal. Therefore, while four billion of the world’s seven billion citizens are not yet connected, we have a real and present opportunity to bring all our people into our shared emerging digital future. People around the world are dedicating their professional lives to ensuring that people in the hard to reach places on the planet are connected. One of the ways to deliver that access is through community networks. Community networks are a complimentary way - across various sectors, economies, and technologies – to provide connectivity. They offer a way for anyone, anywhere, to be able to connect to the Internet as long as they have the right tools, partnerships, and support. By empowering people in underserved villages across the world to connect themselves and their communities – community networks provide access where traditional or commercial networks do not reach or serve, or to areas where it may not be economically viable to operate. They offer a complementary alternative to traditional, commercial telecommunications networks Community networks also are a way to develop future business by creating “digitally savvy” communities, hungry for more local content and additional