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News :: UCIMC |
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Major Grant Awarded to Community Tech Project |
Current rating: 0 |
by Sascha Meinrath
Email: sascha (nospam) ucimc.org (unverified!)
Phone: (217)278-3933 |
17 Feb 2004
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LOCAL COMMUNITY WIRELESS NETWORK PROJECT RECEIVES MAJOR GRANT FUNDING FROM THE OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE TO BUILD THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED COMMUNITY WIRELESS NETWORK.
The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CWN) has been awarded a significant grant from the Open Society Institute, funded by the Soros Foundation, to develop wireless technology to be used around the globe, with a focus on developing nations. Urbana-Champaign will become the testing ground for this technology. |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Contact Name: Sascha Meinrath
Company Name: Community Wireless Network
E-mail: sascha (at) ucimc.org
Phone: (217)278-3933
Website: http://www.cuwireless.net
LOCAL COMMUNITY WIRELESS NETWORK PROJECT RECEIVES MAJOR GRANT FUNDING FROM THE OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE TO BUILD THE WORLD'S MOST ADVANCED COMMUNITY WIRELESS NETWORK.
The Champaign-Urbana Community Wireless Network (CWN) has been awarded a significant grant from the Open Society Institute, funded by the Soros Foundation, to develop wireless technology to be used around the globe, with a focus on developing nations. Urbana-Champaign will become the testing ground for this technology.
The grant amount and details will be released at a press conference scheduled for Wednesday morning at 9am at the Community Wireless Network's offices:
115 West Main Street
Second Floor
Urbana, IL
The Community Wireless Network is building a high-speed communications network that promises to support publishing and city-wide Internet radio broadcast by citizens, a community-owned local telephone service, and bandwidth sharing. The network uses off-the-shelf wireless hardware to spread a "web" of network connectivity across town. The CWN uses open-source software and open-architecture hardware created by the CWN development team. Using essentially the same "WiFi" equipment you may use in your home or office, the CWN puts equipment on rooftops to connect users with their neighbors to form a high-speed community network.
The three-part mission of CWN is:
1) to connect every local citizen to the Internet at low cost;
2) develop open-source hardware and software for use by wireless projects around the globe; and,
3) build and support community-owned, not-for-profit broadband networks in cities and towns throughout the world.
Since its inception, the CWN has grown to become a leading source of information, software, and hardware for building community wireless networks. Over the past three years, CWN research and development has yielded two proof-of-concept CWN prototypes in Urbana. The current Open Society Institute grant will allow the CWN development team to refine this software and build a large-scale Community Wireless Network testbed that can be used by the Champaign-Urbana community to bring affordable broadband connectivity to all.
The Community Wireless Network is a program of the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center Foundation (IMC), a federally-recognized non-profit organization. The project has supported itself through donations, foundational grants, and institutional support. The Community Wireless Network is composed of a consortium of researchers, programmers, community activists, non-profit organizations, for-profit businesses, and educational institutions. OJC Technologies is the development home for the Community Wireless Network and has generously agreed to donate office space for the project. The Acorn Active Media Foundation provides infrastructure support for CWN. |
This work is in the public domain. |
Comments
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comment |
by thorn
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
18 Feb 2004
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I believe.
We cannot allow TheCellPhoneCo. to make access to the TheMatrix pay-to-play. We cannot allow the ProfitPowers to demand payment simply for the ability to communicate, globally, instantaneously, in a progressive way. Unimpeded, without being spied upon, without being "gouged", without restriction.
And at a reasonable price, or ideally for free.
This is a really big deal. Historical. I dream of a day, when I can speak, send email, send or view video, or look-up or read any information, from a handheld device, anywhere in the world, or even while in motion.
Free Public MeshNets (with encrypted traffic) are the way. The technology being developed in downtown Urbana, will impact the course of humanity. No kidding.
You Go!
(Cingular just gobbled-up AT&T Wireless news) |
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Re: Major Grant Awarded to Community Tech Project |
by donorcapture
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: -5
20 Feb 2004
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Congratulations. I'm sure that this news will be well received by the landless of
Argentina, already recipients of George Soros's tender attentions. Be sure to share this news with IMC-Argentina.
The old adage still applies: ' If you lie down with dogs, don't be surprised if you wake up with fleas./ |
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Re: Major Grant Awarded to Community Tech Project |
by _
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
20 Feb 2004
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OK, so Soros has a massive financial stake in Argentina. How does that impact this community wireless research project? Or the receipt of this grant? Are you saying that Soros is bankrolling this research for future financial gain?
Does this grant "say" that Soros is somehow entitled to any results produced? Perhaps it's just funding with no strings attached. Offered simply for the sake of funding the concept. He is well known as a progressive philanthropist... and also as a "Bush hater".
What are you saying, besides basically "I don't like Soros, but really love George Bush!"
Soros has openly spent tons of his money to defeat our current fascist tyrant. You know, the one that used the Supreme Court and illegally discounted ballots in FL to steal his throne.
What are you getting at "donorcapture"? If you know something specific, spill it. Otherwise you're just trolling. Show us how taking Soros' money for this project is ill-advised.
Ya got nothing, but a dislike for Soros. Wonder why? And I wonder how that opinion has anything at all to do with this announcement. |
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Are Tools Evil? |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
20 Feb 2004
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OK, so George Soros has someone build him a house. The workers use hammers and -- gasp -- money! as part of this project. So should we swear off ever using a hammer because some of them were used at the behest of Soros?
Great logic, donorcapture. It just goes to show that it is not only capitalists who fetishsize money.
Money is just a tool like any other. Tools circulate, they are traded in commerce, and they have no mind of their own -- they act at the direction of those who wield them. If the tool is in our hands, it is we who direct what it creates. |
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Re: Major Grant Awarded to Community Tech Project |
by Zach (A programmer on this project)
zach (nospam) chambana.net (unverified) |
Current rating: 3
20 Feb 2004
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I want to make it clear that there are no strings attached to this grant EXCEPT that all the software that we produce has to be Open Source and freely available and modifiable by ANYONE.
The copyright will NOT be assigned to Soros or any of his foundations. Soros will not come out of this grant owning ANYTHING from the project. Soros will not own the hardware that we purchase with OSI's money, Soros will not own the intellectual property generated by the project, Soros will be in no better or worse position than anyone else in the world to somehow profit from the work done on this project.
All our work will be done under the auspices of a 501c3 non-profit organization. We will not end up with any profit from this grant, this grant is not creating a business. This grant funds some community programmers to create a public resource.
Why ever would we not take this money given that there are no strings attached and that it enables us to do community empowering work that we desired to do anyway. We are doing exactly the work that we sought out to do, on the terms that we defined, with money that has no strings attached. |
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Re: Major Grant Awarded to Community Tech Project |
by J
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Feb 2004
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It sounds like a great project! Don't fret too much about the off-the-mark pot shots. Armchair, snippity, blanket criticism by a small batch of activists more interested in being sanctimonious is always going to happen with these kind of bold, large projects.
Good luck with the good work, and way to start ambitious projects for social change and positive societal transformatons. |
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Re: Major Grant Awarded to Community Tech Project |
by rl
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
15 Mar 2004
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"Armchair, snippity, blanket criticism by a small batch of activists more interested in being sanctimonious is always going to happen with these kind of bold, large projects. "
...sounds like a guilty conscience to me.
I'm happy that the IMC got this grant, and it's important to recognize that almost NO money that any organization receives is going to be free from the chains of capitalism. I'd like to add, though, that it should be a priority for every community to discuss the repercutions (sp?) of accepting grants, no matter where they come from.
Again, congrats, IMC! |
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