[Chapter-delegates] FW: Network self-determination: When building the Internet becomes a right

[Richard Hill]

I am cross-posting this article on community networks from Luca Belli.


Best,

Richard

 

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Network self-determination: When building the Internet becomes a right


There is no doubt that network self-determination reinforces the distributed nature of the Internet and there is no reason why individuals should not have the possibility to build the Internet themselves, improving their standards of living while bridging digital divides.


By:  <http://www.ietfjournal.org/contributing_authors/luca-belli/> Luca Belli


Date: March 28, 2018


 line break image <http://www.ietfjournal.org/wp-content/themes/ietf-journal/assets/img/linebreak.png> 

 

Anyone reading this article would agree that the Internet and communication technologies play an increasingly essential role in every connected individual’s life. Access to well-functioning network infrastructure on affordable and non-discriminatory terms facilitates significantly the full enjoyment of one’s fundamental rights. Internet users can easily access knowledge and education, conduct businesses by trading goods and services online, and utilize digital public services, from paying taxes to applying to schools and receiving remote medical consultations.

 

As connected individuals, we can safely state that the Internet has become an integral part of our lives and our environment, affecting substantially how we form our opinions, how we socialize and learn and, ultimately, what opportunities we are able to grasp over the course of our lives. But what about the unconnected?

The current digital (r)evolution can also deepen divides in our societies, due to the uneven distribution of digital dividends between those for which connectivity is available and easily affordable and those who are either unconnected or face considerable challenges to connect.[1] <http://www.ietfjournal.org/network-self-determination-when-building-the-internet-becomes-a-right/#_ftn1> 

 

This article briefly explores how groups of unconnected and scarcely connected individuals can regain control over their digital futures, building their own community networks and enjoying what I define as “network self-determination.”[2] <http://www.ietfjournal.org/network-self-determination-when-building-the-internet-becomes-a-right/#_ftn2>  I argue that network self-determination leads to several positive externalities for the affected communities while preserving the Internet as a distributed, interoperable and generative network of networks.

 

In this perspective, concrete examples of communities enjoying network self-determination seem to prove that “the design and development of the Internet infrastructure have a growing impact on society”[3] <http://www.ietfjournal.org/network-self-determination-when-building-the-internet-becomes-a-right/#_ftn3>  and foster a digital environment that enables human rights.

 

Continues here http://www.ietfjournal.org/network-self-determination-when-building-the-internet-becomes-a-right/ 
 

 

Feel free to share https://twitter.com/1lucabelli/status/979020870231449601
 

 

More on Network Self-determination here http://bibliotecadigital.fgv.br/dspace/handle/10438/19924
 

More on Community Networks here http://bibliotecadigital.fgv.br/dspace/handle/10438/19401
 

More on Community Networks governance, architectures and regulations here  https://tinyurl.com/ycwkvdlm 

 

 

 

 

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Luca Belli, PhD 

Senior Researcher, Center for Technology & Society, FGV Rio de Janeiro 

Chercheur Associé, Centre de Droit Public Comparé, Université Paris 2

Head of Internet Governance @ FGV

internet-governance.fgv.br

@1lucabelli 

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