Community-led Internet, energy, and housing working together through union-built ecosystems. RSVP

VerdantDataIO Workshop Agenda

#NoMoreOil: Imagine Plan and Build Community-Owned Infrastructure Networks

Free parking: W. Ranger Ave. |  Registrants get emailed a passcode for front door | elevator to 3d fl

🛠️ Attendees may choose one or more Themes

1. Introduction: Restoring the Internet as a Public Commons

• Framing by Bob Frankston’s concept of ambient connectivity
• Reclaiming the Internet as digital public infrastructure akin to sidewalks

2. What Is Ambient Connectivity and Why It Matters

• Understanding the difference between commercial ISPs and open access networks
• Internet as a utility: accessible, ambient, always-on
• Success stories and pilots

3. Community Internet as Local Infrastructure (COIN)

• Overview of Community-Owned Internet Networks
• Commons-based peer production (CBPP) as a governance model
• How local communities can build, own, and manage infrastructure

4. Decentralized Micro Data Centers: What, Why, How?

• Insights from the Verdant Data whitepaper
• The role of eco-friendly, low-energy micro data centers
• Pairing mesh networks with community clouds and AI edge capabilities

5. From Rooftops to Routers: How Municipalities and Co-ops Can Lead

• Involving municipal power utilities and rural electric cooperatives
• Technical and financial models for integrating with renewable energy
• Grant and investment pathways

6. Labor and the Future of Infrastructure

• Partnerships with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
• Engaging local trade unions in building smart housing, mesh relays, and microgrids
• Workforce development and green jobs pipeline

7. Smart Housing and Smart Communities

• Integrating Internet, HVAC, microgrids, and local data storage into housing developments
• Community ownership of critical systems
• Pilot ideas for affordable housing, tribal lands, and public spaces

8. Call to Action: Launching Local Pilots

• Tools and resources provided by VerdantDataIO
• Template partnerships with libraries, schools, energy co-ops, unions
• Funding, tech support, and training available for community-led deployments