What is a community network?

Interesting debate today that seemed to be going on in several different places.

Define a community network

You'd think it'd be easy, but there is a strange tendency to drift towards a 'them' and 'us' scenario. Them are those who do it for money. Us are the ones struggling to keep our heads above water as we do far too much for 'the community' and not enough to protect ourselves and thrive.

Reminds me of that Quaker poem I can never quite remember about if there's peace in the heart, there's peace in the home, and the ripples spread outwards so you reach peace in the world. If you make sure you are OK, then you can afford to help others around you is one way of looking at it, I think. I'm not very good at this I know because the money side of life isn't of enough concern. I'd rather have mega experiences than be rich and bored rigid trying to work out what to do with the wonga.

No project should be running entirely on volunteer energy. As I keep saying to myself "Volunteers-it'll end in tears" We keep seeing it. There are not for profits who think they should do everything for free and can't reach a surplus or sustainability. And for many this is where the yogurt knitting image comes from, that social enterprises sometimes don't show balance sheets that make sense to business people or our current culture where money is apparently everything for many if not most people.

So, back to this defining community networks. I can't name names as it wouldn't be fair but there are a couple of well-known CAN operators who skewed the results on the Springing up all over survey because they've got several hundred people connected into quite a few of their networks. They've extended way beyond their own patch, because they are in business doing this. Are they community network operators? The communities quite often don't own the networks, but in many cases they didn't want to. They just wanted someone to come in and give them a decent broadband connection. And it has been done.

There are others where the company running the network is owned by its members, who have elected people to take charge of the daily running of the network etc. All profits are spent on extending the network, offering new services etc. Is that a community network? What about all the people in the community who are not members and who may think that profits should be ploughed into other community projects which need help like the playschool or youth club? Is involvement by a subsection of the community enough to say that a community network is owned and run by the community even when it is only a small percentage of that community?

What if there is only one person, a lone ranger, who hasn't managed to persuade anyone else to get involved yet? Or maybe doesn't want the grief of trying to explain to them how it al works? If contributions are made to worthy local causes but the profits are spent as the sole proprietor sees fit, ie to prop up their ailing business because they are too busy climbing on roofs fixing antennas to deal with their clients, is that a community network?

Or is a community network one which has had large amounts of public funding and connected the local council offices and put a kiosk in the swimming pool? Can BT say they run community networks because they occasionally give hard up communities a computer and an ADSL connection?

Can we even define 'community'? Because I think until everyone is clear what a community is, who or whether anyone owns it, runs it, where its boundaries are, who makes sure that everyone has blue fingers, who assesses the impact of each and every one of our actions to benefit or detriment of that community, we are a bit knackered trying to define what a CAN is. Personally.

Sustainability

Been working on CAN in a Box all week, and the issue of sustainability is key. Read this in the Demos report Beyond Digital Divides? and it's stuck in my head. It's from a New Economic Foundation report called The Money Trail.

"Suppose you paint a pound coin blue and watched where it went. Every time it changed hands within a community, it meant income for a local person. If the blue paint were to come off onto people's fingertips, how many people would have blue fingers before the money finally left the community? The more times it changes hands, the better for that community."

Once you start looking at your spending patterns within your own community, ie watching pound coins as they leave your pocket, you realise that not only does that pound coin have an impact on your community - positive or negative depending on where you spend it - but how many of your other actions affect the place you live, and the community you work in.

Social capital has been a big phrase for quite some time and it is very difficult to assess but we all know it is as important sometimes as fiscal capital in its impact on communities. When trying to create a sustainable community project, such as the ones in Bolivia, what other factors will affect them? And what if by the very process of creating a project which is sustainable, you destroy some other vital part of the community by taking away the energy or the pound coins from those facets of life to sustain your project? How much work has been done on the assessment of community projects on the communities they serve?

Many of the projects I have seen or been involved with for deserving communities, even in a peripheral manner, have had initial funding and then folded. The reasons seem to be generally that there wasn't enough revenue funding ie funding the people behind them, and over and over again we see voluntary fatigue. Or the time limit is reached, the boxes are ticked and the project folds gently, or struggles along under its own steam. This constant generation and destruction of community projects must be slowly taking its toll.

What if projects were judged/assessed not on the new jobs they create, or the boxes they tick for NGOs and civil servants, but on how many blue fingers they leave in the community, and how long those fingers stay blue?

The things I forgot to mention

Condors, everywhere, and now on film. Stunning, especially with the scenery. Haggling and buying from the artesans, crouched on the pavement, and in particular, those selling musical instruments who gave me impromptu and private concerts. The guys in Asuncion holding one end each of a large banner on poles who leapt out at road junctions and advertised shops on the next block, and then leapt back to the pavement when the lights changed. The kids in the banana plantations who had a banana box as a playpen to keep them from wandering onto the MDRoad. The ladies doing the washing in the rivers and waterfalls, with all the clothes strewn on rocks and cacti to dry. The kids sitting patiently and quietly next to the old men talking and chewing coca. (You could see that they would be doing this sitting, listening and talking for the rest of their lives. Russ in Spain recently told me he was really looking forward to getting to that stage of his life, sitting in the plaza with a few friends and discussing whatever topics - tertulias they are called - and it is part of a way of life Britain has lost, I think). The mad mountain bikers coming down the most dangerous road - no sign of risk assessments and lawsuit culture here! The number of people who just don't show up on the Bolivian census who live so far from anywhere and have no need for governance - they JFDI in life. The wizened and shrunken old ladies lugging their enormous packages of goods for sale in the multi-coloured shawls which double as display mats and carrier bags, miles from anywhere, heading to a distant town or village to sell their wares. The palm trees, banana trees, butterflies, and tropical luxury that hide the abject poverty. The cold, the heat, the humidity, the glacial ice, all in one day. The speed of the sunset - sun sinks gently behind a mountain, it goes dark kazam! The persistent steet vendors trying to flog you the most rancid looking piece of cheese, pasty, or a dust covered bottle of pop, warm and ancient! The packs of wild dogs in the mountains, the straggly haired but well-fed donkeys, the free range pigs at the side of the road in La Paz. Eating soup with a knife and fork on several occasions. The many different breads to eat when there is nothing else available. The friendliness of those we met - only 1 kiss on meeting and departure, not two as I'm used to in Spain. The men shake hands with one hand and pat on the shoulder or back with the other - it looks quite macho but intimate, friendly. The jokes Betsy (American) told in Spanish in the car! The family who had stopped on the most dangerous road next to one of the many waterfalls and rivers, and were just lowering a toddler into the fast-flowing and rocky river in an inflatable ring. The weird and wonderful things for sale in Sucre market on the Monday when I'd forgotten my camera. The dried cats in the witches' market. The woman jogging uphill in La Paz - we were at 3600m and climbing fast. The poodle in the jumper when it was 30+ degrees. The porter in the 5 star hotel in La Paz whose smart black suit was covered in dust from our luggage and car. The buses (flotas) coming round the corners on two wheels, overloaded with bags, boxes etc on their roofracks, who looked to be about to plunge downwards into the gorges as their smashed drivers fought their way to another beer, more coca etc at the end of the journey. The Argentinian restaurant in La Paz with the best meat on the planet. The amazing salad bars when we ate well in Sucre and La Paz. Huari beer, cold and delicious in Caranavi. The best child waiter on the planet at the Hotel Jatata, who I forgot to tip. He ran around the village to acquire pen and paper for me so I could write my notes. The atrocious child tuba player in El Villar who decided that playing outside the practise room would cheer up those playing volleyball. Not! The characteristic smell of api, choclo etc in villages all over. The slightly unexpected power of the chilli sauce in Alcala. The 'mad' French woman in Coroico who cooked the most incredible souffles, crepes, and lamb curry whilst being hostess, smoking and mixing with the guests in a multitude of languages all rolled into one! The impatience of Bolivian drivers at every junction, traffic light, traffic jam etc and the incredible cacophony of noise from horns of every type from wolf whistles to Dukes of Hazzard to air horns on Beetles. The demonstrations with drums and pipes as farmers protested the lack of diesel to harvest their crops. The growing feeling whilst we were there that the President would have to go/flee, as in Ecuador. The anger and frustration at the totally unnecessary regulation and bureaucracy to make these people's lives ever harder. The amazing community spirit and drive against all odds to make life better. JFDI.

All this and more made my trip to Bolivia a wealth of sights, sounds, smells and impressions that make me determined to return there.

For anyone who can't find Bolivia on a map (half my family it seems), and who thought it was a country of mountains, llamas, multicoloured women in black bowler hats, and no more, as I did - think again. Bolivia is a mini continent in its own right, and has the most inadequate tourist board on the planet. Visit it! You will never regret or forget it.

UK Blues

Woke up this morning in yet another unfamiliar bed. Befuddled brain took a good 10 secs to work out it was my own!

Long, grievous journey back, made worse by first my e-ticket being unacceptable for the first leg of the journey from Bolivia to Brazil. Had to unpack entire belongings next to check in to prove I had no other ticket that would serve, and ended up catching flight by skin of my teeth. That repacking meant that my Ipaq went in my hold baggage not my hand luggage in the rush, and is no more. So, that was the second bit of grief - various other items have also been nicked during the journey so now I have to sort out the insurance. Trouble is, some of what went is of no real monetary value to claim on (a few dollars literally) but were pressies for the girls that I had chosen and haggled over.

However, luckily I bought a lot of stuff and the girls now have ponchos, jumpers, hats, jewellery, hair braids, instruments etc. And the hammocks made it back too so Ant has a multi-coloured hammock to thank him for looking after two sprogs at a very busy time of the year for him.

The overwhelming feeling about the trip now I can almost look back on it (brain still very fuzzy - maybe it's the low altitude!) is that 1) there are plenty of opportunities out there that I am very interested in seeing happen and 2) there are lessons learnt that that apply strongly here with all I am involved in now eg CBN, carrier, CAN in a Box etc. The aim is to use today to tie up some work that needs finishing from before I went, plus writing my report for IICD, and getting some of the stuff in my head written down for CBN etc.

I think there are very valuable lessons learnt from the main aim of my visit which was to try to help the telecentres and the communities they support to achieve sustainability by extending their infrastructure, sharing costs, facilitating champions and evangelists within the community, adding services etc. In fact, we broke it down to
sustainability = improved infrastructure + working 'processes' + content

CANs in UK also require the same type of 'improvements', although in some cases now this is so external observers realise what is actually happening within them rather than for the networks themselves to improve. In Bolivia, telecoms are so poor, not only in coverage and availability but in the ludicrous and unnecessary complexity of the way they run, and regulation, that it is almost inevitable that what you build by improving the infrastructure is a Next Generation Network. And that is what CANs are generally doing in UK, and what new CANs will do this year and next, before BT roll out their 21CN. (See Marconi lost out on that one and are now in dire straits, anyone know who won into it? Bit behind on news on that front!)

So, now it's headlong into the fray again now I'm awake though a little groggy. I'm going to keep the Blog going as my own personal record of the months to come as my other Blogs have all been abandoned for this one anyway! Sadly, no more photos from that camera for now as I dropped it whilst uploading the final photos and it needs repairing. Sorry, Richard! Chau chau

Oh, and is there an election on or summat?! I don't think I'll be voting today because it all seems like they are talking the utmost crap from the little I have read in the 36 hour journey from British papers, and it all boils down to DIY and JFDI anyway, which I don't need an MP whose policies I don't agree (hardline Tories in rural areas) with to do!

Last Post from South America?

So, we have to talk about this road. It was terrifying. Worse coming back because I knew what to expect, and we stopped more frequently on the way back so I could calm down - Rescue Remedy and nicotine were all I had. Wish I'd bought a bottle of Singani to neck as it really was a bit much. Even when there was nothing coming the other way down this single track road, the size of the drop was just too much. Especially when you really couldn't see any sign of any road beneath you, just thousands of metres drop.

Meeting other vehicles meant that when driving down hill, you had to back up until he could pass. The Bolivians are clueless about reversing, and the mirrors were covered in dust so you couldn't see out of them anyway. The best route I decided was to get out of the vehicle and film the chaos, rather than risk being driven over the edge.

Actually, I must say that our driver, Jose Luis, was a cut above most of the other drivers we watched. It turned out that he used to be the chofer (Spanish spelling) for the ex-President so he really was far far better than other drivers. Even so, it wasn't an experience I'm going to be in a rush to repeat.

I will upload some video from the phone as soon as I get back to UK so you can all share the experience! The journey took 7 hours in total and I was exhausted by the end of it. Leaning to the right constantly to try to ensure the car stays on the road by will power and all 8 stone of me really takes it out of you.

We finally arrived in Caranavi and went to our hotel which had a fairly big pool and the rooms were OK. Basic but they had a fan, which was essential as it was hellish hot. We went to the Telecentre and had a meeting with them. They have one of the best connections out of all the telecentres but didn't seem to quite have the same oomph as some of the others. Probably because the person who is in charge doesn't live in Caranavi and I can't blame him for not dropping in very often! Actually, parachute or white water rafting down the river would be infinitely more preferable than that road, we decided.

Went and did some shopping, supposedly for a swimming costume but couldn't find one and the sun was just about to drop behind a very high mountain when we finally got back to the hotel, and it got dark really suddenly so I never did get a swim. I stayed in the hotel to work and drink a well deserved beer whilst Liang went out, and the hotel owner came over and started asking for a quote for an Internet connection. Of course, it ended up going a bit further and he is now getting a quote for sharing the Telecentre connection, 3 or 4 computers, and a wireless network around the hotel for guests. Funny how these things happen!

Went to sleep quite early, and in the morning woke up to see a huge amount of mist. We were supposed to be leaving early for Coroico but no-one in their right mind would drive that road in this weather so we sat around till it started to clear, about 12. Then it was a five or 6 hours journey to Coroico, which is a hill village that is pretty touristy. Because of the May Day holidays, there were no hotel rooms left anywhere. We ended up sleeping in what could only really be described as a garage! Anyway, sleep was desperately needed by the time we'd found somewhere to stay, been to a mega French restaurant - I had lamb curry - and got back to the hotel This going to sleep at 10pm is very odd but it seems to work quite interestingly as I've had to get up really early every day.

Am rushing this as I am now back in Santa Cruz, and have to try and pack a huge amount of stuff into a limited number of bags tonight as I fly home in the morning. I went to the Witches market in La Paz earlier today and it was freaky! I just can't believe some of the stuff they were selling. Dried cats, llama foetus', wooden icons etc. Anyway, that was one of today's experiences but also managed to get some more funky pressies at the last minute. Seem to have done a serious amount of travelling on this trip, 2 more flights and 5 hours driving today alone.

Have uploaded some more photos, but still got a lot to do and had to put a lot on the phone so can't get at those till I'm near a bluetooth dongle again. Arrived back at Alberto#s this evening to find everything in chaos as they discovered they had termites so the whole house has been fumigated and all the clothes etc are piled up all over the place so that the fumigators could get at all the wood work, which is a fairly integral part of this house as you can see from the photos.

Should be home Weds morning, and will be on a really weird schedule till at least the weekend because I'll be 5 hours ahead of UK, so don't expect any late nights from me guys until I get back to normal!! Thanks for all your comments, I'll try and remember some other things that have happened that I have meant to post about but in the meantime, thanks for all your comments, and next time I post I'll either be stuck in some bloody airport unexpectedly, or I'll be home with the girls, who I've missed loads. Chau chau.

7 hours on this road. We were driving on the left so you can guess how narrow it was 

View from near Coroico, where we saw lots and lots of condors