[cr-india] Workshop on community broadband

[parminder]

This is to bring to your notice that IT for Change, Society for
Knowledge Commons, Ideosync Media Combine and Digital Empowerment
Foundation, are together organising a workshop on/*"Taking Internet to
rural communities: Last Mile Models for the National Optical Fibre
Network"*/, at India International Centre, New Delhi, on 5th September.
A workshop note is enclosed.

While the Fibre backbone issue seems now to have been taken up in the
right earnest, there still seems to be a conspicuous policy blind-spot
regarding how connectivity will be carried from this NOFN back-haul to
people's homes, local businesses, and local institutions like schools,
hospitals and community centres. The workshop will focus not on the
involved technologies but on policy and institutional requirements for
viable last mile models that can help universalise Internet service in
India, with a focus on community-based approaches. Various
community-based models, ranging from local governments directly
providing connectivity, to their partnering with local entrepreneurs, to
relying on private actors licensed by local governments, to community
organisations taking up this responsibility, will all be considered.

We are of the opinion that community ownership of broadband has close
connections to community media.

General comments and suggestions are welcome.

Please let me know offline if anyone has interest in this workshop.

Parminder
IT for Change
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