If people cannot easily connect to digital tools in an equitable manner, civic tech will fail to address existing power imbalances in society.
Suggested reading: Node by Node: Red Hook’s mesh network survived Hurricane Sandy. Today, it’s in limbo.
Red Hook WiFi, a project of Red Hook Initiative (RHI), is a community-led effort to close the digital divide.
The report is based on a survey of 7,500+ civil society organizations (CSOs) from 136 countries who answered questions about the barriers that they, and the communities they serve, face when it comes to digital equity.
We work with communities to build the internet infrastructure and skills they need to participate fully in a digital society
the critical infrastructure lab aims to create space to co-develop alternative infrastructural futures that center people and planet over profit and capital.
2023 applications for digital equity grant opportunities from the City of Seattle are now open for organizations and community groups looking to help close the digital divide. This year, the City is offering $545,000 for qualifying projects with Technology Matching Fund (TMF) grants.
The Colorado Broadband Office (CBO) leads the statewide effort to expand broadband coverage and quality for all Coloradans and coordinates all broadband efforts for Colorado.
Our mission is to educate the public about privacy in digital communications and to develop tools that anyone can use. By embracing "privacy by design," we help make digital security and privacy more accessible to everyone.
Starshield leverages SpaceX's Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. While Starlink is designed for consumer and commercial use, Starshield is designed for government use, with an initial focus on three areas:
The Equitable Internet Initiative (EII) is a collaboration between the Detroit Community Technology Project and a network of community organizations including BLVD Harambee.
Open data from an investigation of disparate outcomes in internet deals across 38 major cities in the United States.
This study documents the rise of competitive broadband service in Boston; describes steadily increasing City efforts to close gaps in broadband affordability, devices, and skills; characterizes the remaining gaps in these areas as defined by stakeholders and available data; and makes near-term policy recommendations to address these gaps in light of current federal funding opportunities. This report also provides a high-level estimate of the cost of building a third competitive fiber network in the City, in addition to the residential services of Comcast and Verizon.
Community-owned internet infrastructure
The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more.
by Pew Charitable Trusts
Measurement Lab is seeking three Research Fellows to expand Internet performance research beyond the measurement and optimization for bandwidth. Fellows will utilize M-Lab’s longitudinal, open dataset and/or platform to identify under-recognized Internet performance metrics that can be used to improve end user performance.
Access the internet simply and reliably where you are. BRCK is a rugged, self powered, cloud enabled wifi hotspot router with built in fail-overs.
Internet insights for social good
The Internet Master Plan is a new vision for broadband infrastructure and service in New York City.
This training prepares teams of community organizers, people with construction skills, and techies to design and deploy communications infrastructure with a commitment to the Detroit Digital Justice Principles.
Connecting coronavirus relief and aid orgs with support
San José’s ambitious goal is to bring broadband connectivity and digital skills to 50,000 households over the course of the next decade - and this initiative explicitly earmarks funding to achieve this goal.
The Resilient Mesh Wireless project is a series of local networks serving small businesses combined with community-based trainings in Sandy-affected areas.
a data-driven online tool that to allows us to quickly and easily estimate the economic cost of Internet disruptions
The Michigan Moonshot aims to leverage public and private partnerships to connect everyone in rural Michigan, regardless of geography.
SUPPORTING INTERNET FREEDOM WORLDWIDE Without Fear of Repressive Censorship or Surveillance.
A map of the Internet measuring its compliance with human Rights (R), evaluating its Openness (O) and Accessibility (A), and assessing the involvement of Multistakeholder actors (M) in its governance