In this issue, we celebrate the passage of a bill aimed at expanding connectivity and addressing the needs of underserved communities in the Philippines. Numerous society organisations advocated for the approval of this new legislation, called the Konektadong Pinoy Act, which promises faster network development, particularly in rural areas, by simplifying licensing, streamlining permits, fostering investments, and expanding access to radio spectrum.
We also feature news and stories on community-centred connectivity initiatives from a range of countries such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, India, Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. Welcome to the 78th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks and community-based initiatives.
Routing for Communities podcast
- In the 11th episode of our podcast, we hear from John Garrity directly from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. He works as policy advisor and chief of party for the USAID – Better Access and Connectivity project in this country and told us more about the challenges faced. Listen now.
- The Routing for Communities podcast is available on this page, as well as on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The first season features 12 episodes, describing experiences of communities from around the world.
Community networks news and stories
- Digital inclusion in action in South Africa: Discover a new project expanding Zenzeleni Community Networks' services to Mgcibe and Ntshilini, two neighbouring villages near Mankosi, where they are currently based. Read more.
- From cybercafé to digital revolution: Learn more about the inspiring story of Joseph Bishi and the Murambinda Community Network in Zimbabwe. Read more.
- From India, Layak Ram, a network engineer at the Digital Empowerment Foundation, shares how the introduction of wireless internet has transformed his community. Watch the video here.
- In Brazil, a community network was set up in Quilombo Bom Jesus by young people from the Resilient and Connected Territories Project. In this article, the Nupef Institute shares more about this experience. Read more. [Available in Portuguese.]
- This article focuses on the expansion of technological frontiers and community connectivity in the rural and Indigenous areas of Colombia and Brazil. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
- Connectivity, digital rights and human rights: APC discussed the right to access health and care with the non-profit association InterHop, which brings together activists of free software and self-managed use of health data on a local scale. Read more.
Gendered experiences
- From Colombia, one of Colnodo's core principles is integrating a gender perspective and women's rights into digital inclusion projects. In collaboration with the Local Networks (LocNet) initiative, led by APC and Rhizomatica, they have reflected on three key dimensions of this principle. This article discusses them. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
Enabling policy and regulation
- Organisations celebrate the passage of a bill to expand connectivity, addressing the needs of underserved communities in the Philippines. Read more.
- Aiming to support the development of a regulatory framework that ensures access to and sustainability of community networks in Colombia, Colnodo, Dejusticia and the Internet and Society Centre of the University of Rosario (ISUR) have submitted comments to the country's Communications Regulatory Commission (CRC). Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
- The report "Public connectivity policy in Mexico: Recommendations to preserve progress" analyses the challenges Mexico faces in connectivity and the progress made through federal government programmes in the previous administration. Read more. The recordings of its presentation can also be watched here. [Available in Spanish.]
Publications, research and toolkits
- This work, focused on Peru but potentially applicable to the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean, proposes as a new contribution the definition of the residual gap in rural telecommunications and suggests the model of community networks as an alternative to overcome it. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
Events
- The call for submissions of session proposals for the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2025 is now open until 12 March 2025. Under the theme "Building Digital Governance Together", this year's IGF will take place from 23 to 27 June in Norway. Read more.
- This article from unconnected.org offers insights about a pilot course on Community-Centred Connectivity Initiatives and Social Entrepreneurship, hosted by ISEA and APC. Read more.
Funding opportunities
- The Connecting the Unconnected funding programme supports communities and local organisations working to build and expand internet infrastructure to connect people living in rural, remote and low-income areas. The first application window for this year is now open until 31 March 2025. Read more.
- The Information Society Innovation Fund (ISIF Asia) supports organisations in the Asia-Pacific region to develop internet-based solutions for digital development challenges. The fund is now accepting applications for its 2025 funding cycle, with a deadline of 4 April. 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. Upload your resources and share knowledge with others.
This newsletter is part of the Local Networks initiative (LocNet), a collective effort led by APC and Rhizomatica in partnership with grassroots communities and support organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. It aims to directly support meaningful community-centred connectivity initiatives, while contributing to an enabling ecosystem for their emergence and growth.
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