How To Roll Your Own Net Neutrality #NetNeutrality
The future of net neutrality seems up in the air but there are measures you can take right now to ensure you receive neutral access. This article from Fast Company outlines some of the steps you can take:
BUILD YOUR OWN ISP—OR JOIN PEOPLE WHO HAVE
You can buy most anything online, even a 24 GHz transceiver that beams gigabit-class data streams up to eight miles. Smaller transmitters and Wi-Fi routers then connect individual users. That’s one type of setup that community ISPs committed to net neutrality and privacy use to get members online. Projects are sprouting up around the world and the U.S., from Detroit’s Equitable Internet Initiative to New York’s NYCMesh. Users can contribute by setting up their own router that extends the network. The Internet Society runs a grant program to support people building community networks around the world.
JOIN A CITY-RUN NETWORK
Many municipalities have also built their own consumer rights-friendly ISPs, often running fiber-optic connections right to people’s homes. They frequently provide better service at lower prices than private sector ISPs, according to a recent Harvard University study. (No wonder that telecom companies have worked to shut down municipal networks through lobbying or court cases.) The Institute for Local Self Reliance encourages development of municipal (and citizen) run broadband and keeps track of networks across the US.
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