Community networks newsletter: What are the barriers that impede community-centred connectivity initiatives from growing?

This question arises in a world in which one in three people still lack access to the internet. In the Global South, this number rises to one in five for those facing permanent barriers to connectivity. Yet, across these same regions, communities are building their own solutions – launching initiatives and strategies that prove connectivity for all is possible.

So why aren’t these successful models scaling up? What prevents this diverse movement of actors, determined to close the digital divide, from expanding and thriving? Beyond enabling policies and regulations, a growing concern is finance. Access to sustainable, innovative financing remains one of the greatest obstacles for community-centred connectivity initiatives.

These critical questions are at the heart of an upcoming high-level event and a global social media campaign that is already amplifying these reflections – inviting new voices to join the conversation, share perspectives, and explore creative solutions to ensure no one is left behind.

Welcome to the 85th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks and community-based initiatives.

Routing for Communities podcast

All four episodes of season 2 of our Routing for Communities podcast are also introduced by thought-provoking questions, that invite listeners to analyse strategic issues for community-centred connectivity initiatives and for the movement they form part of. 

The last episode questions how we can strengthen the community-centred connectivity movement. What is still missing for it to grow stronger, connecting the unconnected? 

Listen to this final episode that explores the crucial role of financing, regulation and public policies here and enjoy diving into this reflection led by the voices we heard in our first season. You can also find the other episodes from this season and all the episodes from the first season here.

And remember that all the episodes of the Routing for Communities podcast are available on this page, as well as on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify. 

Join in. 

Community networks news and stories

• From Brazil, communities in Flona Tapajós e Resex Tapajós-Arapiuns participated in training on solar energy, digital technologies and sustainable extractivism. The workshops, conducted by Projeto Saúde e Alegria, were attended by representatives of traditional communities. They were aimed at strengthening sustainable management and digital inclusion and expanding community autonomy and local income. Read more. [Available in Portuguese.]
• “Other Technological Worlds Are Possible” is a project that showcases, through the artistic genre of comics, the stories of collectives of workers in Latin America who expand the meanings of technology while fighting for social justice. The first volume features the work of the Technology Sector of the Movimiento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto (MTST). Read more. [Available in Portuguese, Spanish and English.]
• Bolivia and Paraguay are the only countries in the Latin American region without direct access to the sea. Derechos Digitales, in collaboration with TEDIC, a fellow APC member from Paraguay, analyse the impact that this lack of access to the sea has on access to connectivity and propose the policies required for achieving meaningful connectivity for people in these countries. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
• In Córdoba, Argentina, AlterMundi is installing early warning fire alarms with connectivity devices in La Rancherita. During the installation process, hardware improvements are being evaluated to make installation easier. Watch the video here. [Available in Spanish.]
• Invited by the Guna General Youth Congress in Panamá, REDES A.C. coordinated a workshop reflecting on the importance of creating a content strategy for and by Guna youth, sharing tools for creating videos with mobile phones (script writing, recording and editing) and for disseminating them on social media, addressing their possibilities and risks. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
• The Jaime Pardo Leal community, located in the hilly area of San José del Guaviare, Colombia, is building its own community network called Tejiendo Paz. This process, supported by Colnodo and the Global Gateway of the European Union, is taking place in a training space created after the signing of the 2016 Peace Agreement, and is led by a cooperative formed by signatories of the agreement. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]

Gendered experiences

• The SoochnaPreneur programme led by the Digital Empowerment Foundation in India has strengthened rural communities in Salem, Bokaro and West Champaran. The programme trained rural women in digital and financial literacy and enabled them to provide essential digital services through locally-run Community Information Resource Centres (CIRCs). Watch a video about them here.
• Through a community-centred connectivity initiative led by Fantsuam Foundation, 50 rural women are gaining access not only to the internet but also to the skills and tools they need to thrive in today’s digital economy. Read more.

Enabling policy and regulation

• Despite years of discussion, financing for digital equity and inclusion remains fragmented, under-resourced and poorly coordinated. A Task Force on Digital Financing (TF-DF) was launched as a concrete outcome of WSIS+20, to fill this existing gap. Read more.
• In Mexico, the civil society organisation Telecomunicaciones Indígenas Comunitarias (TIC-AC) won a concession to develop a voice and internet network for 13 towns in the deep Sierra Tarahumara, through a bandwidth package ranging from 5.73 to 5.9 approved by the Federal Telecommunications Institute. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
• In South Africa, two recent regulatory reforms will soon allow community-centred networks to use cellular technology to bring low-cost access to low-income communities. With support from the Internet Society, iNethi has applied for a test licence in an unused 20 MHz portion of bandwidth to deploy low-cost cellular technology. Read more.
• Internet exchange points (IXPs) form the backbone of the modern internet. By keeping traffic local, they cut latency, boost performance and lower transit costs. APNIC shares in this article lessons achieved from the Singapore IXP experience, affirming that real success of an IXP comes from trust, transparency and the tangible value it delivers to participants. Read more.
• “From a new law to internet governance forums: How can we mainstream our agenda to address the digital divide?” A new article by Maria Liza Dacanay, from the Institute of Social Entrepreneurship of Asia, dives into how the Konektadong Pinoy Act and a national Internet Governance Forum could supercharge digital inclusion in the Philippines. Read more.

Publications, research and toolkits

• “Connecting humanity action blueprint: Advancing sustainable, affordable and innovative solutions” is a recent report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) aimed at supporting stakeholder efforts to overcome barriers and close gaps. The publication overviews the global digital divide and highlights multistakeholder partnerships involving transformative digital inclusion projects as key for achieving universal and meaningful connectivity. Read more.
• The ITU and Rhizomatica are hosting a free online course on Designing Community Connectivity Strategies in Indigenous and Rural Territories in Latin America, aimed at individuals, organisations and groups that participate in or wish to contribute to the development of local connectivity solutions. Registration is open until 28 September. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
• The Indigenous Connectivity Institute launched the Spectrum Explainer Series, a three-parter (plus a glossary) introduction for Indigenous communities to the world of radio spectrum. The series, developed by Steve Song and Phil Steinhauer-Mozejko, was created in response to the growing need and demand for radio spectrum among First Peoples. Read more.
• How can we ensure communication in emergency situations caused by climate incidents and disasters? This question drives the Tridecs – Technologies for Rapid Response to Climate Incidents and Disasters project, a Nupef initiative with support from the Digital Access Programme of the UK Embassy in Brazil that seeks to map and test technological solutions when conventional systems fail. Read more. [Available in Portuguese.]
• “Territorio móvil” is a project developed by the organisation Sursiendo that offers a tour of different dimensions of mobile phones. It comprises a series of texts, podcasts, infographics and support material for digital care. The project is meant to promote collective reflection about digital autonomy. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]

Events

• A T20 dialogue on “Breaking barriers: Innovative financing for community-centred digital inclusion” will take place in the framework of the G20 South Africa presidency. Convened by the Association for Progressive Communications, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and UNESCO with the T20 Task Force on Digital Transformation, the event will be held on 1 October in Cape Town, South Africa. Read more.
• The Central American Donors Forum will be held in Guatemala City, under this year’s theme “Resist, Bridge and Rebuild in Times of Change”, next 6 and 7 October. Read more.
• Also in Guatemala City, “Accessible Americas: ICTs for ALL” will take place from 28 to 30 October 2025. It is organised by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and partnership with the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones, Guatemalan telecoms regulator. Read more.
• The Philippine Community-Centred Connectivity Initiatives (CCCI) Boot Camp will take place in November in Cebu. The four-day immersive learning event will deliver the skills to plan, implement and sustain community-owned digital connectivity models. Those interested should answer the Training Needs Assessment. Read more.
• The Mozilla Festival 2025 will be held from 7 to 11 November in Poble Espanyol, near Barcelona, Spain. Read more.
• odule on community networks. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
• The COP 30 is going to take place from 10 to 21 November in Belem, Brasil. Find more information here.
• The 9th Community Network Exchange Asia Pacific 2025 will be held on 14 and 15 November 2025 in T-Hub, Hyderabad, India. Read more.
• RightsCon 2026 will be held in Lusaka, Zambia and online on 5-8 May 2026. Read more. 

Funding opportunities

• The NGI Zero Commons Fund is open, aimed to help deliver, mature and scale new internet commons across the whole technology spectrum, from libre silicon to middleware, from P2P infrastructure to convenient end-user applications. Anyone can apply: individuals, SMEs, institutions, collectives. A deadline is coming soon, but a new round will be opening immediately. The application, administration and reporting processes are simple and straightforward. Read more
• The international hub for new media art Rhizome NY is announcing a microgrant call for projects on network commons, narrative systems and public personas with a special interest in open internet. Their aim is to support creators experimenting with alternatives for digital culture, from community-owned platforms to algorithmic realities. The deadline for application is 10 October. Read more.

Community networks learning repository

This repository is a collective online space to store and exchange resources that can be useful in training processes, focused on materials made for and by community networks.

The suggested read for this month's edition is the “Financing mechanisms for locally owned internet infrastructure” report. Authored by APC, Connect Humanity, Connectivity Capital and the Internet Society, the report analyses the operating models and financing mechanisms that can support the success of community connectivity providers (CCPs) that struggle to access capital while building solutions to the persistent digital divide. 

And remember our usual invitation: if you or your organisations have produced resources devoted to the capacity building of communities for their digital inclusion, please share them in our repository. Contributions in all languages are welcome. 

Find out more!