The session was moderated by Kurtis Heimerl, Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, USA. The speakers were:
Shaddi Hasan
Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech
When Community Meets Commercial
Community networks are often positioned in contrast, or even opposition, to “traditional” commercial networks. In this talk, I will present experiences from developing and implementing systems that attempt to facilitate cooperation between community networks, small-scale ISPs, and commercial mobile operators. These deployments illustrate the tensions and opportunities that exist for these different models of network operation to complement and learn from each other.
Josephine Dionisio
Associate Professor, University of the Philippines
Village Base Station Project
I will share insights from the Village Base Station Project in the Philippines. Our experiences in project implementation reiterate the point that community networks require a corresponding social infrastructure. Its promise as a form of inclusive technology at a scaled-up level may be best realized when the technology package and research design pay more careful attention to appropriate and participatory community organizing approaches.
Kanchana Kanchanasut
Nisarat Tansakul and Adisorn Lertsinsrubtavee Internet Education and Research Lab, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
Smart Village with TakNet
In this talk, we will briefly introduce a community network, TakNet, in Thailand. The network was physically set up by student volunteers in 2013 and is now operating by the community with technical support from a research lab, intERLab/AIT. In recent years, TakNet is moving towards smart village with environmental monitoring using IoT (HAZEMON) and distributed ledger services for the community (BaangPun). WIth IoT and distributed ledger infrastructure implanted, exciting applications are expected to follow.
Mark Buell & Jane Coffin
Internet Society
Human networks: the key to successful community networks
Community networks are a viable connectivity alternative to traditional networks where a market-based solution may not be possible. Often, they are best suited to small, very rural or remote communities – places in the world where community members may be skeptical of outsiders. Partnerships built on mutual trust is crucial to ensure successful, sustainable community networks. In this talk, we will discuss how the Internet Society works to build that trust and creates networks of support, from Indigenous communities in North America to rural Africa, Asia, and Latin America.