The Internet Society Explores Community Networks at MozFest
A spotlight on the Internet Society, a MozFest 2018 sponsor
MozFest is a festival for, by, and about people who love the internet. So it’s only fitting that the Internet Society — the 25-year-old nonprofit working toward the positive evolution of the internet — has a major presence.
The Internet Society is among this year’s MozFest sponsors. They’re also using their time at the festival to continue their exploration of community networks.
“Today, nearly half the world’s population is not connected — that’s around 3.5 billion people without internet access,” explains Wende Cover, Communications Director at the Internet Society. “At MozFest, we will be highlighting community networks as a complementary model that provides new ways of connecting people in the world’s most remote and underserved regions.”
Cover continues: “Community networks are built by local people, for local people. We are interested in meeting others at MozFest who want to help connect the unconnected, and take action to switch on the internet, community by community.”
This work is part of the organization’s #SwitchItOn initiative, an effort to connect the unconnected to the internet’s potential. Earlier this year, the Internet Society published a policy brief outlining licensing approaches, regulatory actions, and other avenues for improving access. If you’d like to lend a hand, join as a member and get in touch. You’ll become part of a fantastic and passionate group of people who are working to find new ways to close the digital divide.
Connectivity is a critical part of the Internet Society’s work, but it’s not the sole focus. Formed in 1992 by internet luminaries Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, the nonprofit does everything from standing up for strong encryption to housing the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
“Our work aligns with our goals for an open, globally-connected, trustworthy, and secure internet for everyone,” Cover says.
Learn more about the Internet Society’s latest work: https://www.internetsociety.org/
