About Us
Founded in 2022, Community Internet operates as the public-facing platform of the Broadband Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We help people and communities bridge the digital divide by supporting community-owned internet projects and digital education.
COMPETITION + COOPERATION = #INTERNETFORALL
We create and curate Creative Commons, educational materials to address the Digital Divide by teaching community members to cooperatively own and run “free market” Broadband Internet infrastructure with Open Access Fiber.
COMPETE ON PERFORMANCE
SHARE KNOWLEDGE
SHARE INFRASTRUCTURE
Since the 1980s we have supported Open Source, Open Standards and more recently #OpenAccessFiber to promote competition that will enable new enterprises to share the knowledge necessary to transform society and ensure a better future for us all.
Restoring the Internet as a Public Commons
The Internet was designed to connect us like the sidewalk — open, shared, and equitable. We’re building the infrastructure to make that vision real again through democratic ownership, collaborative governance, and shared prosperity.
Our platform cooperative model ensures that every member has a voice, every teacher has ownership, and every community benefits from the value they create together.
Cooperative Principles
01 Voluntary & Open Membership
02 Democratic Member Control
03 Member Economic Participation
04 Autonomy & Independence
05 Education, Training & Information
06 Cooperation Among Cooperatives
07 Concern for Community
Three Pillars of Our Platform
Self-Governance
We employ consensus decision making using tools for proposals and voting made by Loomio.
Finance
From dollars to tokens all our finances are made completely transparent by using OpenCollective.
Working cooperatively will promote #DigitalEquity
We provide training and resources both to individuals seeking digital skills and to communities organizing their own broadband networks.
Our goal is to foster equitable access and sustainable community ownership of internet infrastructure.
Open Access Fiber
In Open Access Fiber networks, the same physical network infrastructure is utilized by multiple providers delivering services to subscribers. The Open Access business model has been drawing attention globally as governments and municipalities find the concept of offering competition between providers and the freedom of choice for the subscriber is essential. It has also proved to be a feasible way to connect rural areas where service providers might have a hard time generating enough revenue to justify investing in their own network infrastructure.
IEEE Communications Society Technology Blog
EFF sent comments to the NTIA urging them to fund the deployment of open access fiber networks, properly vet all projects seeking funding, and provide assistance to motivated local and regional entities who want to build their own open-access networks. This framework should allow the NTIA to best distribute the more than $48 billion of broadband funding allotted through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), and deliver to all Americans access to reliable, affordable, high-speed broadband.
Electronic Frontier Foundation
A key problem in improving Internet access has been ensuring residents and local businesses have high quality services. One means of ensuring high quality is via competition – if people can switch away from their Internet Service Provider, the ISP has an incentive to provide better services. However, the high cost of building networks is a barrier for new ISPs to enter the market – limiting the number of options for communities. Open access provides a solution: multiple providers sharing the same physical network. Publicly owned, open access networks can create a vibrant and innovative market for telecommunications services. Municipalities build the physical infrastructure (fiber-optic lines, wireless access points, etc.) and independent Internet Service Providers (ISPs) operate in a competitive market using the same physical network. In this competitive marketplace, ISPs compete for customers and have incentives to innovate rather than simply locking out competitors with a de facto monopoly.
Institute for Local Self Reliance
Community Internet is the dba for Broadband Institute Foundation.
Community Internet is a platform cooperative governed by its members and is open to all who want to build a fairer, more connected future. It is the educational arm of the Broadband Institute Foundation, a Michigan-based nonprofit.
All donations are tax-deductible (EIN: 87-4724219) and directly support our open-access educational and community programs.