Global spotlight
Scotland does not have a monopoly on good ideas. These projects show what it looks like when communities own and run their own networks—built around people, not profit. Descriptions are short; follow the links to go deeper.
NYC Mesh — volunteer-led mesh in New York City
NYC Mesh is a non-profit, volunteer-driven network building neighbourhood links across New York City. Their public materials emphasise community ownership, donations rather than extractive pricing, and a documented approach to extending the mesh responsibly.
Libraries Without Borders — Ideas Box and offline-first tools
Bibliothèques Sans Frontières / Libraries Without Borders deploys Ideas Box mobile cultural and learning spaces in humanitarian and underserved contexts, combining satellite connectivity with books, devices, and facilitation. They also develop offline-first approaches (such as the Ideas Cube and related platforms) for places where continuous internet is unrealistic—an important reminder that “access” is not only fibre to the home.
Ideas Box (Libraries Without Borders)
Freifunk — decentralised community wireless (Germany and neighbouring regions)
The Freifunk movement supports autonomous community wireless networks with a strong emphasis on political education alongside technical build-out. Individual communities publish their own nodes and policies; treat Freifunk as a family of projects rather than one centralised organisation.
Guifi.net — community network, Catalonia and beyond
Guifi.net is a long-running, user-governed network often cited in research on community infrastructure. It grew from wireless links in rural Catalonia into a broader commons-based model with clear governance documentation and a foundation supporting operations. It is a useful reference when asking what “open and neutral” network commitments can look like in practice.
guifi.net · Guifi.net Foundation
Attribution note: We highlight these projects because their documentation is public and their aims align with our values. Listing here is not an exhaustive survey of the field; suggest additions via Contact.