Group discussion with a laptop open on a table.
Start with the places people already gather: libraries, community centres, tenants’ meetings, parent groups.

Start where you live

  • Map the gaps gently. Collect anonymised examples: “our tenement has one provider”, “mobile signal drops at the school gate”. Pair stories with postcodes only if people consent.
  • Use official sources. When you write to a councillor, include links to Scottish Government connectivity pages and any local digital strategy PDFs so requests are easy to forward.
  • Visit libraries and community centres. Many digital inclusion programmes meet people where they already go. Ask what timetables look like and whether transport or childcare is a barrier.

Show up in democratic spaces

  • Attend community council meetings when digital items appear—or ask for a short standing update on connectivity.
  • Submit questions to full council or scrutiny committees when budget lines touch digital infrastructure or inclusion contracts.
  • Connect with tenants’ organisations and trades unions where remote work policies assume home broadband people may not have.

Help WIRES directly

We welcome volunteers for research, plain-language editing, accessibility passes on the site, and local “open calls” where we crowdsource broken links or confusing leaflets.

Join the group Contact us

Safety note: Do not intercept neighbours’ traffic or tamper with street cabinets. Community networking is powerful when it is legal, consensual, and transparent—see our Global spotlight for examples with public documentation.