About
Our team includes six staff and over 50 volunteers from a wide array of local and national organizations. For more information, visit our People page.
For up to date info on the project, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media.
Vision
The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically demonstrated the implications of the digital divide and exacerbated existing inequalities for students, business owners, job seekers, and many others. Our vision extends beyond the COVID-19 crisis. We seek a long term, sustainable, and affordable Internet for all in Philadelphia, rather than stopgap measures amid an emergency.
The Philly Community Wireless project is actively seeking to connect homes in the Fairhill and Kensington neighborhoods of North Philadelphia to free, net-neutral broadband for at least the next decade. We strive to offer an alternative model for Internet access and to help cities and communities rethink about the Internet as a public utility by involving our users in the construction of the network.
Our goal is to help communities reclaim power through critical digital literacies. As PCW builds towards community-oriented stewardship the basic principles of network engineering and digital literacy so that they can be stewards of the technology, rather than merely recipients.
Values
We believe that access to the Internet is a fundamental human right and that independent, community-owned and -operated wireless is a sustainable and scaleable means of digital inclusion.
We support net neutrality principles and believe that the Internet should be provided free of throttling, zero-rating, and the tracking and monetization of user behavior.
We believe that people matter more than profit and that the principles of cooperation and mutual aid can grow a fundamentally different kind of digital network.
Finally, we believe in starting small, learning from our mistakes, and inviting the input and perspectives of teachers, organizers, users, and technologists alike in building this network.
Community Technology
Community-managed and owned wireless mesh networks have cropped up across the United States in the last couple decades. Philly Community Wireless is inspired by similar projects in New York City, Detroit, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and other cities across America. We are indebted to the work and documentation available on NYC Mesh’s website.
Visit our Docs for more info on the technical infrastructure and process.
In 2022, the Big Picture Alliance completed a documentary film about the early stages of the PCW project and the larger mission of community technology and digital equity work today. Check it out on YouTube.
What We Need
"Roughly $200 can permanently connect a house to high-speed Internet, with no monthly bills."
Antenna Hosts
We are actively seeking community organizations and building owners in the Fairhill and Kensington neighborhoods who are willing to host network antennas on their rooftops, and to conduct community outreach about this free network connection. Please sign up!
Drone photography of wireless antennas broadcasting wifi from residential rowhome into Cesar Andreu Iglesias Gardens. Eli LaBan
Volunteers
We We always welcome interested community organizations and residents to get involved with any aspect of the project and learn as you contribute. Summer 2022 we plan to run public training events to onboard new people. For more info on roles for volunteers and onboarding processes, see our Volunteer page
Fundraising
We are looking for additional funding to purchase more hardware that will be donated to community members, including alternative technologies that could supplement our baseline service. Roughly $200 can permanently connect a house to high-speed Internet, with no monthly bills. Please visit our We Did It page to contribute! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email us at info@phillycommunitywireless.org.
In the News
Tech Policy, America, Disconnected: What’s Biden’s Plan for Averting Digital Disaster?, 4/30/2024
CNET, Alternative Broadband Networks: Affordable Internet for the People, One Rooftop at a Time, 10/1/2023
Kensington Voice, Norris Square organization increases community access to free internet, 7/12/2023
Technical.ly Philly, Alex Wermer-Colan and PCW awarded Community Tech Leader of the Year 2022, 12/14/2022
Al Dia, Bringing Digital Equity to North Philadelphia, 5/13/2022
Technical.ly Philly, A group of Philly technologists are working on a free, community-based mesh Wi-Fi network, 2/1/2022
Temple Now, Philly Community Wireless offers internet for the community, by the community, 10/7/2021
The Progressive, Cities Struggle to End the Urban Digital Divide, 9/16/2021