The People’s Internet
It is shocking that in a major American city like Detroit, a city that had two major car companies, 40% of the city lacks access to Internet.
Net neutrality is a big political issue. We cannot have a handful of companies controlling access to the Internet. That access has to be for everyone, rich or poor.
In Detroit, the Equitable Internet Initiative is building community-owned wireless internet infrastructure in towns that big telecom won’t touch. Hundreds of towns have built their own internet service providers. Rural communities are putting putting wireless internet antennas on top of mountains, grain silos, and tall trees. The fastest internet connections in the United States are provided by local governments, not big telecom. In Southern California, Tribal Digital Village is using unused television spectrum to deliver internet. All over the country, big telecom is being rejected and subverted, and you do not need to have a pile of money, an army of lawyers, or a degree in network engineering to take action.
In England in rural areas, local people are digging the trenches, laying fibre optic cable.
In Greece communities are building their own broadband network.
Postcapitalism, people are taking control of their own political, social, employment space.
