A new Ignite session

This time we had the chance to chat with a Jake Brown, a passionate 17yr old guy who is working his butt to close the digital divide between the the low income people and the wealth of resources in the internet through high speed services, wireless mesh services. He works in a project at the GigLab in "Level 4" of Chattanooga, TN Public Library to provide spaces for people to create and share resources. His definition of a Library is way different from my college years when Libraries resemble cemeteries, where books were gathering dust in shelves, where finding a book was a challenge in itself going through boxes and boxes of index cards. Imaging sharing where chatting was forbidden and you could check a book out only for a few days. 

Jake is a enthusiastic clever guy who shared his vision of a world where communities run their networks. He shared how the technology challenges are little compared with the complexity of dealing with communities, volunteers, governments (local) and with big corporations. His story reminded me a TEDx talk by David Damberg who explains how NGOs fail because they don't create the social capital to maintain whatever benefit they provide to poor communities.

One of the topics that we discussed was Net Neutrality, it made news a few days ago after Pres. Obama asked the FCC to enforce it in the US. Immediately media was flooded with opinions in favor and against. Jake is a strong believer in Net Neutrality. I should say that he is a firm believer in the benefits of the full access to the resources and opportunities that the internet bring to people. The mere idea of corporations blocking the access of this wealth to people who can't pay fuels his position. However I shared with Jake my view that projects like his are independent local initiatives that can achieve the competitive environment needed to assure open channels. Bringing government in the equation is (to me) scarier than the vision of a Corporate run internet. Nonetheless Corporations like Comcast and AT&T are codependent with regulators like the FCC. For instance the current Chairman of the FCC, Thomas Wheeler was lobbyist for the cable and wireless industry. The cronyism of the industry is the real enemy of Net Neutrality. Jake shared how the Chattanooga Municipal Utility company, EPB, fought against Comcast that opposed the installation of one of the fastest internet systems in the US,  the Giga Network.

 

Surveillance Camera under Statue of Freedom.
Washington DC
by Takomabibelot

 Are community run networks the answer? I don't know, some say that they are unsustainable, while others are more optimist . I agree with those who think that private networks in a competitive market are a better bet than asking for more government. Jake's fear is that once private initiatives become successful the big players will come and buy them out. I hadn't consider this risk before and I see Jake's point. Yet, the big players became big because they have government protection from captured regulators. If the Federal Government starts to "control" how business run the show by intercepting communications we will find new interests groups lobbying while individual liberty erodes. Instead we should thrive to open markets and deregulate the industry.

The topic will is not new nor is fading away. While people like Jake push for community-local solutions there is hope that Freedom and innovation will prevail.