Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Potential for Wireless Signal Sharing Communities to Expand Digital Inclusion Efforts

随着PDA、笔记本电脑和手机等“永远在线”的移动的设备的激增，对永远存在的宽带连接的期望沿着增长。国际电信联盟预测，世界各地的人们将很快生活在“无处不在的网络社会”中，在那里，互联的电器和设备提供相关的内容和信息，无论用户在哪里。虽然一些公共场所目前提供无线互联网，但宽带用户每次离开接入点时通常都会失去有保证的连接。一个越来越流行的解决方案，共享宽带信号，依赖于点对点网络模型。信息不是从“一对多”传递，而是从“多对多”传递。“这种形式的病毒式网络开始在媒体行动主义的基层以及风险资本的精英领域站稳脚跟。由科学，技术和社会计划资助的这篇论文项目对一个复杂的现象有了更深入的了解：点对点信号共享在美国扩大数字包容性的潜力。半结构化访谈提供了对网状网络运动的更深入的理解。该项目融合了多个利益相关者的观点-选择共享其WiFi信号的人、联邦监管机构、现有的ISP以及促进对等网络的非营利和营利实体。该项目还调查了参与这一运动的人。这项研究的学术价值在于它努力扩大和深化关于特设网络如何有助于缩小数字鸿沟的文献。一项广泛的文献综述表明，很少有学术研究关注有组织的无线信号共享计划在向被剥夺权利的社区部署宽带方面所发挥的作用。在现有的研究中，重点是互联网服务提供商，即宽带接入的供应方。这项研究通过深入研究对等网络运动的需求方来扩展知识，以更好地了解连接的潜在途径。这项研究的更广泛的影响是强调了数字通信正在融入美国生活的几乎每一个方面。它们与我们的经济、社会和文化生活相互交织。事实上，如果没有互联网接入、技能培训和相关的在线内容，就不可能充分参与这些领域。该研究将WiFi信号共享视为一种有前途的“最后一英里”技术。相反，该研究提请注意其通过使消费者能够利用宽带信号而无需订阅ISP来扰乱电信行业的潜力。

The expectation for ever-present broadband connectivity is growing along with the proliferation of "always-on" mobile devices such as PDAs, laptops and cell phones. The International Telecommunications Union predicts people worldwide will soon live in "ubiquitous network societies," where interconnected appliances and devices provide relevant content and information whatever the location of the user. While some public spaces currently offer wireless internet, broadband subscribers typically lose guaranteed connections each time they leave their access points. One increasingly popular solution, shared broadband signals, relies on a model of peer-to-peer networking. Instead of information passing from "one to many," it may travel from "many to many." This form of viral networking is beginning to take hold at the grassroots level of media activism, as well as within the elite realm of venture capitalism. This dissertation project funded by the Science, Technology and Society Program develops a deeper understanding of a complex phenomenon: the potential for peer-to-peer signal sharing to expand digital inclusion in the United States. Semi-structured interviews provide enhanced understanding of the mesh networking movement. The project incorporates the perspectives of multiple stakeholders -- people who opt to share their WiFi signals, federal regulators, incumbent ISPs, and both non-profit and for-profit entities that facilitate peer-to-peer networking. The project also surveys people who participate in this movement. The intellectual merit of this research lies in its efforts to expand and deepen the literature on how ad hoc networks can help close the digital divide. An extensive literature review reveals that few academic studies have focused on the role organized wireless signal sharing initiatives can play in deploying broadband to disenfranchised communities. Among the studies that do exist, the focus is on ISPs -- that is, the supply-side of broadband access. This research extends knowledge by delving into the demand-side of the peer networking movement as a means of better understanding potential pathways to connectivity. The broader impacts of this research are underscored by the fact that digital communications are becoming integrated into nearly every aspect of American life. They intersect with our economic, social and cultural lives. In fact, full participation in these realms is impossible without internet access, skills training and relevant online content. The study approaches WiFi signal sharing as more than a promising "last mile" technology. Rather, the research draws attention to its potential to disrupt the telecommunications industry by enabling consumers to take advantage of broadband signals without subscribing to an ISP.