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84 lines
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84 lines
4.5 KiB
Plaintext
# The Wireless Commons Manifesto
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NOTE: Anyone can sign The Wireless Commons Manifesto
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(http://dev.wirelesscommons.org/node.php?id=2). Charter signatories: Adam
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Shand (Personal Telco), Bruce Potter (CAWNet), Paul Holman (Shmoo Group)
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and Cory Doctorow (EFF).
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We have formed the Wireless Commons because
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a global wireless network is within our grasp. We will work to define and
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achieve a wireless commons built using shared spectrum, and able to
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connect people everywhere. We believe there is value to an independent and
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global network which is open to the public. We will break down commercial,
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technical, social and political barriers to the commons. The wireless
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commons bridges one of the few remaining gaps in universal communication
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without interference from middlemen and meddlers.
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Humanity is on the verge of a turning point because the Internet has
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transformed the way humans relate with one another. All communication can
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be traced to a human relationship, whether it's lovers exchanging instant
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messages or teenagers sharing music. The Internet has given us the ability
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to communicate faster and more cheaply than ever before in history.
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The Internet's value increases exponentially with the number of people who
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are able to participate. In today's world, communication can take place
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without the use of antiquated telecommunications networks. The
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organizations that control these networks are limping anachronisms that
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are constrained by the expense and physical necessity of using wires to
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build their networks. Because of this, they cannot serve the great mass of
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people who stand to benefit from a wireless commons. Their interests
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diverge from ours, and their control over the network strangles our
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ability to communicate.
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Low-cost wireless networking equipment which can operate in unlicensed
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bands of the spectrum has started another revolution. Suddenly, ordinary
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people have the means to create a network independent of any physical
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constraint except distance. Wireless can travel through walls, across
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property boundaries and through a community. Many communities have formed
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worldwide to help organize these networks. They are forming the basis for
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the removal of the traditional telecommunication networks as an
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intermediary in human communication.
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The challenge facing community networks is the one limiting factor of
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wireless communication: distance. The relationships that can be formed
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across a community wireless network are limited by their physical reach.
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Typically these networks are growing to the size of a city, and growth
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beyond that point requires coordination and a strategic vision for
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community wireless networks as a whole. Without this coordination, it is
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hard to see how the worldwide community of wireless networking groups will
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ever merge their systems and create a true alternative to existing
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telecommunication networks.
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There are many barriers to the creation of a global network. So far, the
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focus has been on identifying the technical barriers and developing
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methods to overcome them. But technical problems are the least of our
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worries, the business, political and social issues are the real challenges
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facing community networks. Hardware and software vendors need to
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understand the business rationale for implementing our technical
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solutions. Politicians need to understand our requirements for universal
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access to unlicensed spectrum. The public needs to understand that the
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network exists and how to get access. Unless these problems are identified
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and addressed, the community wireless movement will never have influence
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beyond a local level.
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Most importantly, the network needs to be accessible to all and
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provisioned by everyone who can provide. By adding enough providers to the
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network, we can bridge the physical gaps imposed by the range of our
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equipment. The network is a finite resource which is owned and used by the
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public, and as such it needs to be nurtured by the public. This, by its
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very nature, is a commons.
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Becoming a part of the commons means being more than a consumer. By
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signing your name below, you become an active participant in a network
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that is far more than the sum of its users. You will strive to solve the
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social, political and technical challenges we face. You will provide the
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resources your community consumes by co-operating with total strangers to
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build the network that we all dream of.
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Source:
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https://nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0212/msg00136.html
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NOTE: A copy of the original manifesto (plus the definition and signatories which were
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released at the same time) is preserved at: https://adam.nz/wireless-commons/
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