COMMUNITY NETWORKS
AND LOCAL ACCESS

 2.1. Upcoming events

• The first re:publica event in Africa will take place in Accra, Ghana on 14-15 December 2018. There will be several sessions on access, and at least two on community networks. Read more.   

• The annual Freedom Online Conference in Berlin is taking place 28-30 November 2018. We can expect to see discussion on the challenges of connectivity, the potential of community networks and platform regulations. Read more.  

 2.2. Resources from past events

• The 13th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) was held in Paris, France on 12-14 November. This year’s conference featured a number of panels on community networks.

  • “Community Connectivity: When the Unconnected Build Connectivity”. Watch the session here and read more here.  APC provides its own commentary on the session here. The IGF Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity has also published “The community network manual: How to build the internet yourself”, which includes solutions and experiences from community operators and access specialists to guide communities wishing to create their own community network and make it scalable, sustainable and legally based. Download your copy here.
  • “Spectrum for Community Networks: A ‘Must’ That is Hard to Get”. This session included discussion of an upcoming paper “Innovations in Spectrum Management: Enabling community networks and small operators to connect the unconnected”. Download the draft paper here. Watch the session here and read more here. APC also provides a summary of the proceedings here.  
  • “Scaling community networks: Exploring blockchain and efficient investment strategies”, a 90-minute roundtable. Read more and view the reference document here. 
  • “Connecting and Enabling the Next Billion Phase IV”. Watch here and read APC’s report on the session here. 
  • “Digital Inclusion and Accessibility”. Main session panel focused on leveraging the power of the internet to bring social and economic change to the community. Read more. 
  • A roundtable was held by the Dynamic Coalition on Public Access in Libraries: A Policy Toolkit for Public Access. The session included discussion of the draft toolkit to support library action and engagement on the question of public access. Read more. 
  • “Innovative Approaches to Connecting Underserved Areas”. Read more and see APC's overview of the session here.
  • “Best Practice Forum on Gender and Access”. Read more and see the minutes from the last virtual meeting held 8 October 2018 here.  

• The annual AfricaCom conference and exhibition took place in Cape Town on 13-15 November, bringing together multiple stakeholders working on various ICT issues including connectivity infrastructure, disruptive technologies, digital services and ICT strategy. Read more.  

• The second edition of Community Network Xchange (CNX) summit took place on 31 October 2018. Organised by DEF India and the Internet Society, #CNX2018 focused on synergies between community networks and community radios across Asia Pacific. Read about it here.   

• An analysis of the Community Networks session at the Africa IGF which was held from 4-6 November in Khartoum, Sudan. Read more. 

• The Mozilla Festival (MozFest) 2018 took place on 22-28 October 2018 in London. With a focus on community networks, the event explored how people in some of the world’s most remote locations are building and running internet connections of their own by featuring a large story display of community networks around the world. Read more.   

• A Community Network Champion programme took place at DEF’s Wireless Training Centre in Guna, Madhya Pradesh from 2-10 November 2018. The workshop, provided to seven community networks from Haiti, Bahrain, Nigeria, Kyrgyzstan, the Philippines, Kenya and Indonesia, offered intensive training on wireless networks, their operations and management. Read more.   

• Wi-Fi World Congress Africa, a two-day conference and exposition on everything Wi-Fi, was held on 27-28 November 2018 in Johannesburg. Read more.