From the book cover layout by Tangente Design
Introduction
Community Networks (CNs) are connectivity initiatives usually developed in a bottom-up fashion by groups of individuals – i.e., communities – that may contribute to the design, development and management of the network infrastructure as a common resource. Hence, CNs are usually managed according to the governance models established by their community members and may be operated by groups of self-organised individuals or entities such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), local businesses or public administrations.
Since 2016 the Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3) of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has fostered thriving multistakeholder debates dedicated to the analysis of community connectivity. DC3 is a multistakeholder group coordinated by Prof Belli and Dr Hadzic, aimed at fostering a collaborative analysis of community connectivity initiatives, exploring how they can improve and expand connectivity, analysing their technical features, and their governance and funding models. DC3 provides a shared platform involving all interested individuals and institutions into a multistakeholder analysis of community connectivity issues.
This book is the Official 2025 Outcome of the UN IGF DC3 and should be seen as a further step towards a better understanding of community networking and is built upon the previous efforts of the DC3. Over the past decade, the CNs debate has evolved considerably, and the discourse surrounding these initiatives has undergone significant transformation. This evolution reflects a shift from grassroots technical experimentation to the recognition of CNs as essential instruments for digital inclusion, sovereignty, and cybersecurity, all underpinned by sustained community engagement. In this context, DC3 has systematically studied the conceptual, regulatory, and operational frameworks for CNs through a rights-based, community-centric approach.
As we will recount in the next section, understanding how the community connectivity debate has evolved is, therefore, essential to understand why the identification of self-sustaining financial solutions is probably the most important issue to be addressed and why such solutions may have a remarkably relevant impact for the future of connectivity.