Community networks newsletter: Communities building the evidence for meaningful connectivity

What does meaningful connectivity look like when communities lead the way? Across Asia, Africa and Latin America, local initiatives are answering that question by designing and implementing connectivity solutions that respond to their own realities, priorities and aspirations. In doing so, they are not only expanding access, but also generating valuable evidence on what it takes to build connectivity that is inclusive, sustainable and community-driven. 

Their experiences are informing how to design technology, how to deliver capacity-building programmes, how to advocate for tailored policies to answer to grassroots needs, how to promote socio-environmental justice to care for communities and territories. We invite you to follow their stories, learn from their journeys, and discover the evidence they are building. 

In this edition you can find a new episode of the Routing for Communities podcast from the bootcamp in Puebla, discover the discussions at the WSIS Forum underlining why meaningful connectivity must place communities at the centre, listen to the voices advocating for enabling policies from the School of Digital Policy in South Africa, enjoy the narratives of communities addressing the socio-environmental impact of connectivity and technology, and much more.

Welcome to the 94th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks and community-based initiatives.

Routing for Communities podcast

• A new special episode of the podcast features voices from “La Fiesta Radial” held during the bootcamp that concluded the 2025-2026 Blended Training Programme for ICT Network Managers in Rural, Remote and Indigenous Communities of Latin America.
• Held in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, the event brought together 44 participants from community connectivity initiatives across 16 countries in the region. La Fiesta Radial is a radio broadcast produced on the final day of the bootcamp to celebrate the gathering and shared learnings, bringing together experiences and reflections. This special episode is available in Spanish here. You can also revisit the podcast featuring the Wiki Katat initiative, which was the host of this latest bootcamp. That episode is available in Spanish and also in English. Find all the episodes of season one and two here. Let’s join the celebration!

Community networks news and stories

• From Nigeria, in Kaduna State, the Kukum Daji Community Self-Built Sustainable Connectivity Hub led a free digital literacy training programme, sponsored by the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and implemented by the Initiative For Digital Inclusion in collaboration with Fantsuam Foundation. Watch testimonies of participants in this video. 
• The project “Semeando Redes Resilientes: infraestrutura e formação para proteção territorial” deployed its first community network during an in-person programme held in Bela Vista, Alagoas, Brazil. Built together with women and young people from the community, the initiative is led by Nupef with support from the Internet Society Foundation, in partnership with Associação Pipa, Intervozes and the MTST Technology Hub. Read more. [Available in Portuguese.]
• The Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement and partner Vizcaya Fresh Organic Advocates Inc. in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya, deployed satellite-based and public Piso-WiFi access to support local farmers. CVISNET Foundation in Medellin, Cebu, supported installing emergency connectivity to aid disaster recovery and sustainable livelihoods during recent earthquakes and flooding. Both initiatives expanded community-centred connectivity in the country. Read more.
• From Kenya, at Oasis Mathare Code Club, learners who once quietly followed instructions grow into confidence and stand before their peers to explain and teach what they've built. Beyond coding itself, each session builds skills meant not just to prepare young people for jobs, but to help them lead, innovate and believe in their own potential. Read more.
• Also in Kenya, AFRALTI, in collaboration with the Communications Authority of Kenya, hosted the Capacity Building Workshop on the Open Fibre Data Standard. The workshop deepened understanding this open fibre data’s role in improving the sharing, management and governance of fibre infrastructure data across the country. Read more.
• In Mpumalanga, South Africa, the Sustainable Connectivity Project led by the UK Digital Access Programme and AdNotes are using a community-enabled network model to deliver affordable internet access to underserved communities, connecting more than 300 households to opportunities in the digital economy. Watch this video to learn more from this experience.
• In a month marked by the World Cup, the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) reflected on how football and communication can be analysed in parallel as common goods. “Communication, like street football, is how social fabric gets woven, how belonging and meaning are made at the most local and human level. The parallel with football is clear. Something that belongs to everyone has been captured, commodified, and sold back to us, and in forms that no longer build community.” Read more.
• Across Paraguay’s Gran Chaco region, more than 20 Indigenous communities are showing that a different kind of connectivity is possible: connectivity that is purposeful, resilient and intercultural with the NANUM project of resilient networks. Together with the Grupo Sunu de Acción Intercultural and NANUM, the Internet Society Foundation and TechSoup are joining the initiative. Read more.
• From Argentina, a new community network was deployed in Santa Rosa de Tasti, in the province of Salta. After months of collaborative work, the first homes are now connected to the internet and the community itself has decided to expand the network using its own resources to reach more homes. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
• The call for narratives launched by the LocNet initiative at COP30 aimed to gather knowledge from communities to address the urgent need to protect territories from the socio-environmental impacts of technology, and to promote ways in which communities can take hands-on ownership of technology to defend them. From 125 proposals received, nine proposals were selected. We are now launching the first group of three: a news report, an illustrated story and a poem committed to this aim. Read more.

Gendered experiences

• From the Philippines, in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya, women organic farmers are turning new connectivity into a tool for economic independence – managing network infrastructure, selling produce online, and using real-time farm data apps to reach new buyers and be forewarned of weather disruptions. In this way the CCCI is helping the women of the Kapangan Organic Practitioners Association (KOPA) lead their digital transformation, one connection at a time. Read more.
• The report "Meaningful Community-Centred Connectivity: Women, Internet, and Disaster Resilience” documents the experiences, perspectives and adaptation practices of women in disaster-affected areas in Aceh, Indonesia. Conducted by Combine Resource Institution (CRI), through storytelling and community-based documentation, the initiative highlights how women utilise information, technology and local networks to respond to disasters and strengthen community resilience. Watch them here.
• Materi Ajar Komunitas Berdaya is a digital learning platform serving as a shared knowledge hub on digital inclusion – with a focus on women and underserved communities. Developed by ICT Watch through the EmpowerHER initiative, in partnership with the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) and supported by APC, the platform offers self-paced modules and toolkits on online safety, digital entrepreneurship, GEDSI, and community-centered connectivity to help communities use digital tools more safely and confidently. Read more. [Available in Bahasa.]

Enabling policy and regulation

• South Africa's digital inclusion policy and regulatory landscape is at a turning point. After years of championing community-centred connectivity initiatives on the ground, the country's decision makers are conducting a consultation process until 21 August to update the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill, including among its aims “to enable the ‘use it or share it’ principle for spectrum." Read more about the call for inputs here. Also learn from the voices of communities here.
• In Gaborone, Botswana, the Communications Regulators' Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) hosted a workshop on “Accelerating Universal and Meaningful Connectivity through Local Innovation, Content Development and Skills Enhancement using Community Networks”. Facilitated by APC, the workshop brought together regulators, universal service fund administrators and community practitioners to explore innovative approaches while learning from successful community-led initiatives. Read more.
• Focus countries of the Local Access Networks (LocNet) initiative have developed their National Strategies for Community-Centred Connectivity as a road map to delineate the steps forward for the period 2024-2027. The national strategies chart the course to strengthen community networks while fostering an enabling environment for them to grow and flourish. National strategies for Colombia, Nigeria and the Philippines were recently launched. Find them here, here and here.
• The Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies in Colombia approved 12 spectrum usage permits in the 900 MHz band for organised communities and small internet service providers, advancing the goal of bringing connectivity to remote areas. Nine were granted to communities who will provide service in 30 areas across the country. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
• A report developed by InternetLab and the Nupef Institute discusses the challenges of connectivity in the Legal Amazon region, the impacts of Starlink's expansion, and the need for public policies aimed at guaranteeing rights. The document brings together recommendations for building connectivity policies more suited to the specificities of the Amazon region. Read more. [Available in Portuguese.]
• While the public debate on mandatory cell phone registration in Mexico tends to focus on security, crime and privacy, the community mobile operators and their users in rural and Indigenous areas explained how this measure is affecting them and their commitment to bringing connectivity to places where companies don't reach. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
• A policy analysis paper published by Unwanted Witness titled "The Triple Constraint on Uganda's Digital Economy” introduces a framework which argues that under-investment in ICT infrastructure, over-taxation of connectivity and devices, and restrictive governance practices often interact to suppress affordability, access, trust and meaningful participation in digital ecosystems. Read more.

Publications, research and toolkits

• “Beyond bandwidth: The social return of community-led connectivity investment” is a new policy report that highlights the methodology proposed by the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA) for measuring the social impact and cost effectiveness of community-centred connectivity initiatives. It draws on four case studies in Indonesia, India, Kenya and South Africa to show how community-centred connectivity creates value that extends far beyond internet access. Read more.
• The ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau launched the Connectivity Planning Platform, a data-driven tool that evaluates technology options, identifies coverage gaps, models real-world deployment scenarios and makes informed investment decisions to enhance universal and meaningful connectivity. Two upcoming online webinars will focus on the tool. Read more.
• The two latest Tech Together webinars are public online at the APC media platform. A webinar on the launch of the recently launched Community Interest Media publication is available here. And a webinar on the Catalytic Effect of Community-Centred Connectivity for Climate Justice is available here.
• With federal government funding for digital inclusion growing more uncertain, Connect Humanity's new "Alt Funding Field Guide" series tackles the mandate to find sustainable funding beyond grants alone. It makes the case for co-investment from sectors like healthcare, education, workforce, housing, local government and telecommunications that depend on community-based digital inclusion, equipping practitioners with the language, evidence and partnership structures to build it. Read more.
• A new report from the International Telecommunication Union and the Internet Society draws lessons from 10 telecentres and community network initiatives across seven countries in Asia and the Pacific – India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Vanuatu – assessed against six dimensions of sustainability: financial, socio-cultural, organisational, operational, policy and environmental. Read more.
• The University of the Philippines published “Meaningful Community-Centered Connectivity as an Alternative/Peripheral Practice of Rural Digital Development in Indonesia”. The discussion paper draws on two research projects on the School of Community Networks in the country, supported by APC, based on the experience led by Common Room and local community networks. Read more.
• REDES A.C. is inviting individuals, organisations and community and/or Indigenous groups from Central America to a free online course on creation of digital content from the narratives of local territories, together with audiovisual production and social media management to strengthen their communication projects. Registration is open until 10 August. Read more. [Available in Spanish.]
• “Between Earth and Sky: An Overview of Low-Earth-Orbit Satellites in the Brazilian Amazon” is a paper from C-PARTES that examines the potential of LEO satellites to expand connectivity and strengthen public services in the region, while also addressing questions of governance, digital sovereignty and the rights of Amazonian communities. Read more. [Available in Portuguese.]

Events

• The recent World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026 and the first Global Dialogue on AI Governance held in parallel brought together a full agenda on community-led digital access, focusing on issues such as community-centred connectivity, the strategic role of capacity building and sustainable financing, AI governance and human rights, spotlighting grounded perspectives and practical recommendations to move forward. Read APC’s highlights and reflections in this article. WACC shared coverage of a session they hosted on access in this article, while the ITU, APC and Rhizomatica jointly hosted a session on digital inclusion as a driver of community development, focused on the experience of the blended training programme developed in Latin America and now translated to the African context. A new video on the experience was launched during the session, which you can watch here.
• The first ever Asia Community-Centered Connectivity Bootcamp will be held from 6 to 10 August 2026 in Quezon City, Philippines, bringing  together community network practitioners, partners, policy makers, technical experts and changemakers. Read more.
• The 5th Social Enterprise Advocacy and Leveraging (SEAL) Asia Conference, organised by the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA), will be held on 12 to 14 August 2026 and hosted by the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. Session 1 will be focusing on "Community-centered connectivity initiatives (CCCIs) as social enterprise accelerators to achieve the SDGs, bridge the digital divide and connect the unconnected". Read more. 
• The World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum (WTPF-26) will take place from 2 to 4 September 2026 in Nassau, The Bahamas, convened by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Read more.
• The 2026 Global Gathering will take place from 4 to 6 September 2026 in Estoril, Portugal. Find all the relevant information about the country, the gathering and the agenda here.
• The RightsCon Continues Summit is a 24-hour global online event that will bring together the RightsCon community after the unexpected cancellation of the event in Zambia. The Summit will take place on 22 September 2026. Read more.
• The NetHope Global Summit is taking place 26 to 29 October 2026 in Amsterdam and virtually on 3 November 2026. Read more.
• The Mozilla Festival 2026 will be held in Barcelona from 28 to 30 October 2026. Read more.
• The 21st annual Internet Governance Forum will take place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 14 to 18 December 2026. Read more.

Funding opportunities

• UNICEF has published a new call for expressions of interest to identify organisations with experience in digital inclusion, connectivity, multistakeholder coordination, and sustainability planning to support sustainable school connectivity through the connectivity credits model in Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, and South Africa. Interested organisations should register as soon as possible on the United Nations Partner Portal, since the process takes time, ahead of the application deadline of 7 August 2026. Read more.
• The third edition of the ITU Academy and United Nations University-MERIT online course “Causes and consequences of the Digital Divide” is open for receiving applications. This online training, instructor-led and free for selected participants, is funded by the Global Gateway. Applications will be received until 13 September 2026. Read more.
• Funding opportunities were announced by the US National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) as investment to support tribal and native communities to expand broadband access and advance digital equity. The call for applications for the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP) and the Native Entities Grant Program (NEGP) will be open until 17 September 2026. Read more.

Community networks learning repository

The learning repository is a collective online space designed to store and exchange training resources, with a focus on materials created by and for community networks.

As highlighted in this edition, evidence is necessary for advocating for public policies and regulations tailored to communities, and also for drawing inspiration from successful experiences. Find in the repository publications that provide valuable evidence, including the "Constellation of Experiences", available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese, and an overview of the National Schools of Community Networks.

A reminder that you are invited to collaborate with the repository, contributing materials, publications, training toolkits, or other capacity-building resources – in any language – devoted to and/or developed by organisations and community-led connectivity initiatives.

This newsletter is part of the Local Networks initiative (LocNet), a collective effort led by APC and Rhizomatica in partnership with grassroots communities and support organisations in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. It aims to directly support meaningful community-centred connectivity initiatives, while contributing to an enabling ecosystem for their emergence and growth. The newsletter was supported by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in 2017 and 2018, and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) from 2019 to 2023. From 2024 to 2027, the newsletter forms part of the “Meaningful community-centred connectivity” project carried out with the support of Sida and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland acting through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

If you want more information about how we protect your privacy, see our privacy policy or write to privacy@apc.org.

Invite others to subscribe to this monthly newsletter here.

One more thing! If you have comments about the newsletter or information relevant to the topic that you would like us to include in the next edition, please share it with us at localaccess.newsletter@apc.org.

July 2026. Association for Progressive Communications (APC).