Re: [gaia] Draft "Alternative Networks": Section 4.2. Purpose of Alternative Networks

[Ermanno Pietrosemoli <[e-mail]>]

Excellent , thanks
Ermanno
On May 5, 2016 9:20 AM, "Jose Saldana" <[e-mail]> wrote:

> Hi,
>
>
>
> This would be the new version of the subsection about “Purpose” (Currently
> named “4.2.  Goals and motivation”), built with the help of Panos (thank
> you very much!).
>
>
>
> We have tried to take into account all the feedback in the list, and we
> have added 4 new references:
>
>
>
>    Alternative Networks can be classified according to their purpose and
>
>    the benefits they bring compared to mainstream solutions, regarding
>
>    economic, technological, social or political objectives.  These
>
>    benefits could be enjoyed mostly by the actors involved (e.g.,
>
>    lowering costs or gaining technical expertise) or by the local
>
>    community (e.g., Internet access in underserved areas) or by the
>
>    society as a whole (e.g., network neutrality).
>
>
>
>    The benefits provided by Alternative Networks include, but are not
>
>    limited to:
>
>
>
>    o  Extending coverage to underserved areas (users and communities).
>
>
>
>    o  Providing affordable Internet access for all.
>
>
>
>    o  Reducing initial capital expenditures (for the network and the end
>
>       user, or both).
>
>
>
>    o  Providing additional sources of capital (beyond the traditional
>
>       carrier-based financing).
>
>
>
>    o  Reducing on-going operational costs (such as backhaul or network
>
>       administration).
>
>
>
>    o  Leveraging expertise, and having a place for experimentation and
>
>       teaching.
>
>
>
>    o  Reducing hurdles to adoption (digital literacy, literacy in
>
>       general, relevance, etc.)
>
>
>
>    o  Providing an alternative service in case of natural disasters and
>
>       other extreme situations.
>
>
>
>    o  Community building, social cohesion and quality of life
>
>      improvement.
>
>
>
>    o  Experimentation with alternative governance and ownership models
>
>       for treating network infrastructures as a commons.
>
>
>
>    o  Raising awareness of political debates around issues like network
>
>       neutrality, knowledge sharing, access to resources, and more.
>
>
>
>    Note that the different purposes of alternative networks can be more
>
>    or less explicitly stated and they could also evolve over time based
>
>    on the internal dynamics and external events.  For example, the
>
>    Redhook WiFi network in Brooklyn [Redhook] started as a community
>
>    network focusing more on local applications and community building
>
>    [TidePools] but it became widely known when it played a key role as
>
>    an alternative service available during the Sandy storm [Tech]
>
>    [NYTimes].
>
>
>
>    Moreover, especially for those networks with more open and horizontal
>
>    governance models, the underlying motivations of those involved may
>
>    be very diverse, ranging from altruistic ones related to the desire
>
>    of free sharing of Internet connectivity and various forms of
>
>    activism, to personal benefits from the experience and expertise
>
>    through the active participation in the deployment and management of
>
>    a real and operational network.
>
>
>
>    [NYTimes]  Gall, C. and J. Glanz, "U.S. Promotes Network to Foil
>
>               Digital Spying", April 20, 2014
>
>               http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/21/us/
>
>               us-promotes-network-to-foil-digital-spying.html?_r=1,
>
>               2014.
>
>
>
>    [Redhook]  WiFi, Red., "Red Hook WIFI, a project of the Red Hook
>
>               Initiative", Red Hook WIFI web page,
>
>               http://redhookwifi.org/ , 2016.
>
>
>
>    [Tech]     Kazansky, B., "In Red Hook, Mesh Network Connects Sandy
>
>               Survivors Still Without Power", Monday, November 12, 2012
>
>               http://techpresident.com/news/23127/red-hook-mesh-network-
>
>               connects-sandy-survivors-still-without-power, 2012.
>
>
>
>    [TidePools]
>
>               Baldwin, J., "TidePools: Social WiFi, Parsons The New
>
>               School for Design", Diss. Master thesis
>
>               http://www.scribd.com/doc/94601219/
>
>               TidePools-Social-WiFi-Thesis, 2011.
>
>
>
> Best regards,
>
>
>
> Jose
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> gaia mailing list
> [e-mail]
> https://www.irtf.org/mailman/listinfo/gaia
>
>