A New Internet?
Given the recent move to eliminate network neutrality:
Net Neutrality
The time has come to build our own Internet, the people's Internet.
There are several videos on youtube describing how to build a wireless ISP (Internet Service Provider).
Wireless ISP
This is deceptive because most ISP's provide the local communication infrastructure to connect with the Wide Area communication structure known as the Internet. So even IF some group builds their own ISP, they may still have to use the global communication infrastructure, owned by large communication companies, to provide access to the Internet.
The essential distinction is between Regional Area Networks, like a network for a room, a building, an apartment, a house, a city, a county/province, etc
Local Area Network
Metropolitan Area Network
and Wide Area Networks, like a network connecting two cities separated by hundreds or thousands of miles.
Wide Area Network
Building a LAN or MAN is relatively easy, the technology is readily available. Construction and maintenance costs can be reduced by using a wireless communication infrastructure. The problem rests in constructing a WAN network, this is the difficulty. In practical terms this implies that a network the size of typical city, could be constructed using wireless communication infrastructure. Servers within the city could be accessible to anyone within the range of the LAN or MAN.
What if someone wanted to access information in a server located several hundred miles away? Microwave communications technology has a range of a several tens of miles, maybe 100 miles at best, with possibly different communication speeds. This would imply building, leasing, or renting relay stations along the route between two cities. Another option would be to lay communication cables between the cities with signal boosters along the path. This could be accomplished with fiber optic cables, using optical amplifiers or with electrical cables utilizing signal amplifiers. This is the backbone of this current Internet.
The essential worldwide communication infrastructure, the communication cables, signal relays, communication satellites, between cities, regions, and continents are owned by corporations. This is why they will eventually do what they want it.
It is possible to send digital communications using shortwave but, the bandwidth is limited. It may be possible to send a series of small low earth orbit satellites, that could allow for Wide Area Digital Communication. If enough low earth satellites are placed in orbit it may be possible to provide nearly constant wide area communication, though the data rates may be lower.
I believe this communication infrastructure (the WAN) must become a public good, like roads, or sidewalks, a public commodity.
Individual states or cities are in the best position to shoulder the costs of building and maintaining a WAN infrastructure. A bond or new tax could be passed to pay for the construction and maintenance of relay stations, fiber optic cable, or other forms of communication between individual cities or between all cities in a state. Since the WAN infrastructure is then owned by the local government and local people, it will be the population that will decide what is to be done with it, NOT corporations or big government.
Net Neutrality
The time has come to build our own Internet, the people's Internet.
There are several videos on youtube describing how to build a wireless ISP (Internet Service Provider).
Wireless ISP
This is deceptive because most ISP's provide the local communication infrastructure to connect with the Wide Area communication structure known as the Internet. So even IF some group builds their own ISP, they may still have to use the global communication infrastructure, owned by large communication companies, to provide access to the Internet.
The essential distinction is between Regional Area Networks, like a network for a room, a building, an apartment, a house, a city, a county/province, etc
Local Area Network
Metropolitan Area Network
and Wide Area Networks, like a network connecting two cities separated by hundreds or thousands of miles.
Wide Area Network
Building a LAN or MAN is relatively easy, the technology is readily available. Construction and maintenance costs can be reduced by using a wireless communication infrastructure. The problem rests in constructing a WAN network, this is the difficulty. In practical terms this implies that a network the size of typical city, could be constructed using wireless communication infrastructure. Servers within the city could be accessible to anyone within the range of the LAN or MAN.
What if someone wanted to access information in a server located several hundred miles away? Microwave communications technology has a range of a several tens of miles, maybe 100 miles at best, with possibly different communication speeds. This would imply building, leasing, or renting relay stations along the route between two cities. Another option would be to lay communication cables between the cities with signal boosters along the path. This could be accomplished with fiber optic cables, using optical amplifiers or with electrical cables utilizing signal amplifiers. This is the backbone of this current Internet.
The essential worldwide communication infrastructure, the communication cables, signal relays, communication satellites, between cities, regions, and continents are owned by corporations. This is why they will eventually do what they want it.
It is possible to send digital communications using shortwave but, the bandwidth is limited. It may be possible to send a series of small low earth orbit satellites, that could allow for Wide Area Digital Communication. If enough low earth satellites are placed in orbit it may be possible to provide nearly constant wide area communication, though the data rates may be lower.
I believe this communication infrastructure (the WAN) must become a public good, like roads, or sidewalks, a public commodity.
Individual states or cities are in the best position to shoulder the costs of building and maintaining a WAN infrastructure. A bond or new tax could be passed to pay for the construction and maintenance of relay stations, fiber optic cable, or other forms of communication between individual cities or between all cities in a state. Since the WAN infrastructure is then owned by the local government and local people, it will be the population that will decide what is to be done with it, NOT corporations or big government.
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