Catalytic intervention grants for a more sustainable community network environment

Catalytic intervention grants aim to support a more sustainable community network environment. To create such an environment, we have to explore ways to overcome the isolation of local community networks, improve their access to spectrum, actively foster their diversity and provide solutions for their resilience (e.g. alternative energy) as well as technological innovation.

As part of the project Connecting the unconnected: Supporting community networks and other community-based connectivity initiatives, the Catalytic intervention grants for a more sustainable community network environment call was opened for all initiatives and projects directly working on or with community networks. Priority was given to initiatives led by women and other socially excluded groups such as queer, trans* and sex workers; groups working on protecting land rights; community networks working on advancing the role of women in community networks from inception to implementation; groups using innovative and eco-informed models for sustainability; and applicants whose work challenges hetero-patriarchy and cis-masculinities.

The 11 community network organisations selected, and the representatives appointed by them, are the following:

• Barefoot Women Wireless Engineers strengthening community networks and community radios in promoting public Wi-Fi access

• Co-creating local knowledge networks: A women-centric approach through local music, songs, folklore and dance

• Connecting Amazon Forest indigenous and local communities through HF radio technology

• Digitising rural livelihoods based on local knowledge in indigenous communities: Building a connectivity-based platform enabling economic empowerment of women

• Emancipating content creation: Community networks

• Indigenous communities and LTE in Mexico

• Improving the technical and infrastructural sustainability of the Fantsuam Community Network

• Latin American Community Networks Organisation for Technological Appropiation

• Nodes that bond: Portal sem Porteiras

• Promoting local content: Tunapanda and Murambinda

• The !Huin!om project