Building Sustainable Community Wireless Projects

Many community wireless projects start with a narrow focus, trying to solve a few problems for a relatively small set of users. Government grants often provide the capital to build such networks, but lack funding to sustain the network over time. As a result, such network projects have difficulty keeping up with changing requirements and technology without accessing local community resources. Sustainable community wireless networks require broadly focused long term strategies that expand the original stakeholder group and maintain community-wide interest. Such strategies sustain the network because they:

• Project a cohesive vision that is a rallying point for the entire community.
• Reflect the community’s unique character.
• Provide a mechanism for local government, civic institutions, and businesses to effectively collaborate and communicate with each other, as well as with their constituents and clients.
• Maintain an accessible multi-purpose network that aggregates demand from all community sectors in order to maximize utilization and revenues.

Community wireless marketing programs, based upon the overall strategy, must then focus on bringing all the parties together in order to leverage their collective efforts and common interests.