Summer-Fall 2001

NO MORE STUFF! Andrew Cohill giving his keynote address: "Networks and the Knowledge Democracy: Nine Challenges for Communities," at the Bridge Builder's Conference, Deleware State University in Dover, September 14, 2000. The 20 ounce Coke bottle prop provided an example of the over-abundance of product that characterizes much of American life, including many people's approach to community networking development. "We have this national obsession with stuff. We need more stuff. We worry that we don't have enough stuff. But not long after we buy our stuff, we often throw it out. And then complain that we don't have enough landfills ... We need to stop worrying about teaching ourselves and our children how to use the stuff we already have ... Communities that are serious about solving the digital divide will focus less on acquiring stuff and focus more on comprehensive training and support."

The AFCN formally incorporated in 1998 after several years of informal operation. In its fourth year as the national organization for community networking, AFCN is maturing, with more organizational support, an increased emphasis on services to members, and a growing membership.

AFCN's mission is to improve the visibility, viability and vitality of community networking by assisting and connecting people and organizations, building public awareness, identifying best practices, encouraging research, influencing policy, and developing products and services. The AFCN helps provide a framework to understand and remedy some of the problems facing community networks at the beginning of this century. Like the Internet, AFCN is a network, and is also a network of communities.Some of the key issues for community networks in the coming years include:

• Developing a replicable and sustainable business model that relies less on dial up access fees and more on technology services.
• Continued pressure from private sector firms that criticize CNs as “competition” without any real legal or moral justification for such charges.
• Increased competition from private sector firms offering “one size fits all” Web sites to communities, typically supported by ad revenues. These business ventures lure local leaders with promises of “no cost” community networks that typically offer few if any of the traditional support, training, and hosting services of a “real” CN.
• Development of a common set of principles and services that define a prototypical community network, recognizing that no CN will probably ever offer all of the services enumerated. CNs need to move beyond the pioneer stage of reinventing the wheel in each community and consolidate around a commonly accepted set of best practices in services and business management.
• Wider national recognition of AFCN as an advocate for community wide networking and one of the few public service organizations with a focus on local management and control of network access and content.
• Engagement of communities and community leaders in a broad discussion about the necessity of community-managed telecommunications infrastructure and information services.

Steve Snow, past president of the Association for Community Networking and founder of Charlotte's Web after his presentation on community networking development at the UMass College of Public and Community Service last December, continues the discussion with his sister Deborah Snow, who is CTCNet New England coordinator.

A troubling consolidation in the telecommunications industry that has the U.S. slowly returning to de facto monopoly control of local access by a few large companies.

The year 2000 was a watershed for both CTCs and CNs, as the “digital divide” issue publicized by the U.S. Department of Commerce brought technology issues to the forefront of many organizations. CTCNet and AFCN members found themselves competing for grant money with older, well-established organizations that have strong operations in Washington, but little or no track record in the community use and support of technology.

On the plus side, many more towns and neighborhoods began to ask the right questions about how technology can help improve their communities. The AFCN has benefited through a steady increase in members over the past nine months.

The AFCN began an ambitious program in 2000 to upgrade management procedures and central office operations, including:

• A completely revamped billing system, including professional management and a change to calendar year billing to reduce costs and improve cash flow for the organization.
• Retention of a professional accountant to do quarterly reviews of AFCN financial records, and to assist with tax management and corporate filing with state and federal agencies.
• Establishment of a permanent mailing address and phone number for the organization, instead of changing them each time the president changed.
• Eliminated the “members only” area of the Web site because of lack of use (We found most members thought that trying to remember the user ID and password was an obstacle to regular use.)
  
• A major facelift and re-organization of the AFCN Web site, with features like a Members page and an online directory of members and CN projects worldwide.
  

Early in the year, the AFCN Board also agreed to embark on a major new member benefit—the development and distribution (only to members) of an AFCN Community Networking Handbook. This Handbook will be in an attractive, sturdy, three-ring binder to make it easy to update and add new material. Materials for the Handbook will be written by AFCN members, who will be paid. The first version will be distributed to members in late summer 2001 and will contain three major sections:

• Substantive, in-depth articles of 10 to 20 pages on key topics such as funding, organizational issues, technical management, business management, and volunteer management. Each year, several new articles will be added, and current articles will be updated as needed.
• Case studies of active community networks (6-10 pages each). With a wide diversity of community network activities and models, case studies illuminate best practice ideas and make them accessible to other members and CNs.
• Tips and techniques (2-5 pages each) will be short, concise descriptions of specific programs and activities, written to help other members develop new ideas and programs without reinventing the wheel.