The Rise of the Network Commons: A History of Community Infrastructure

<p>This book is a message in a bottle that washed ashore ten years after it was sent. Armin Medosch began documenting self-managed local networking initiatives with his book <em>Freie Netze</em> published in the German language in 2004. He iteratively developed <em>The Rise of the Network Commons</em> in draft chapters published on his website, The Next Layer, from 2013 until 2015, before his death in 2017.</p> <p><em>The Rise of the Network Commons</em> is a cultural history of ‘the exciting world of wireless community network projects’ that spread from its origins in London, Berlin, Vienna, Copenhagen to Spain, Greece, North- and South America, and Africa. While deploying cutting-edge technology, the movement is made up of technical, social, and artistic hackers with a range of backgrounds and skills.</p> <p>This is the twofold thesis that Armin develops in this book: Involving ordinary people in building a network commons has a profound emancipatory effects on them. At the same time, doing so contributes to the democratization of technology: As a community we can begin to shape future technologies to serve our local needs rather than benefit commercial interests.</p> <p>As a history of community infrastructure, <em>The Rise of the Network Commons</em> is a highly topical narrative for strengthening the resilience of our local last mile digital infrastructures and re-enforcing regional digital self-sovereignty through direct community participation and knowledge sharing. We build the wireless commons by becoming sovereign neighbors of practice and expertise.</p>