EFF Letter

We call ourselves the Free Network Movement. We are a group of activists based out of Grinnell College. It is our belief that network access is a human right, and we aim to deliver such access to as many parts of humanity as possible, starting with the local community of Grinnell, IA. We call our project the Mesh Interface for Network Devices - our implementation is grinnellMIND.

Our organization is divided into several subgroups, and has taken on a sizable and highly dedicated following here at the College, numbering upwards of twenty students. Our Hardware Working Group is developing a physical network layer using store-bought hardware and homebrew radio equipment. Our Software Working Group is hacking Diaspora* code to run as a software layer on such a network architecture. Our Culture Working Group engages in public outreach, and has given rise to the legal research team that is sending this letter. Though our origin is as a student organization, we are reaching out to groups and individuals that share our values or have values similar to our own.

Research and Development have reached a phase where it has become clear that we are in need of your assistance. We are rapidly approaching the point in our roadmap where we begin to deliver network access to the wider public, and we come to the EFF in the hope that your organization will be able to provide us with guidance and expert advice. We view the Electronic Frontier Foundation as a steadying and guiding force in our society's transition to a more interconnected existence. Many of us, including our faculty advisor, Dr. John Stone, are members of the EFF. We are familiar with the materials available on the Foundation's website, and they have proven helpful. Still, we would like to begin a conversation with your organization, in the hope that you can help us succeed in our endeavor.

We are concerned in particular with the legal murk surrounding issues of network access, intellectual property, and communications regulations. Our plan is to build a mesh network that will provide for access to the wider Internet through one or more outboard links. We are concerned that we will be held responsible for activities on this public network. Furthermore, we are unsure as to whether we will be in violation of our upstream ISP's user agreement. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we wonder whether we will be able to use the spectrum space necessary to do our part in building a freer network. Is broadcasting at any frequency other than 2.4 or 5GHz an act of civil disobedience? If so, what can we do to prepare for the backlash?

We are excited to initiate a relationship between our two organizations, and we would appreciate it if the Foundation could put us in contact with any appropriate persons. We thank you for your time and your continued dedication to the cause.