The Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3) is a multistakeholder group, dedicated to the analysis of community networks, within the United Nations Internet Governace Forum (IGF). The need for a Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (DC3) emerged during the IGF workshop 223 “Community Networks: a Revolutionary Paradigm”, held in João Pessoa, during the 10th IGF. Workshop participants agreed on the potential of community networks in order to promote sustainable Internet connectivity and foster the full enjoyment of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and self-determination. To this extent participants stressed the need to move forward the discussion on community networks and further analyse how such networks may be used to foster sustainable Internet connectivity while empowering Internet users. During the workshop, consensus emerged with regard to the need for international cooperation aimed at fostering synergy and coordination amongst different community networks. Such cooperation may be particularly useful in order to identify:

• best practices for the development and maintenance of community networks;
• sustainable organisational and financial models for community networks;
• efficient software and hardware technology.

To address the aforementioned issues while fostering cooperation, many participants expressed interest with regard to the establishment of a new IGF Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity.

The DC3 participants foster joint efforts aimed at:

• Making Community Networks (CN) visible to policy makers so they can be properly considered as an actor in the telecommunications ecosystem.
• Identifying good open-access resources that may be useful to communicate to non-techies what CN are and how they work;
• Mapping existing CN and try to foster communication amongst them, promoting strategies to achieve common goals;
• Identifying models of CN (e.g. rural CN, urban CN, etc.) and best practices that can make them particularly efficient and resilient both from a technical and organizational perspective;
• Identifying best practices and worst practices as regards national and international policies that facilitate or hinder the deployment of community networks.
• Consolidating and publishing these ideas into some ‘Community Network Guidelines/Best practices’ to be presented at the next IGF and divulgated on the future DC3 website.
• Supporting CN gatherings and hands-on work meetings at a regional and global level.
• Addressing common technology development needs, from identifying technological bottlenecks to helping find the resources needed to solve them in a manner that will be beneficial to the sector as a whole.
• Developing a framework for easy access to promote the deployment of CN in remote areas.

The Dynamic Coalition on Community Connectivity (hereinafter “DC3”) provides a common platform involving all interested stakeholders into a cooperative analysis of the community network debate, exploring how such networks may be used to foster sustainable Internet connectivity while empowering Internet users. The official mailing list facilitates a platform whereby all members (i) and interested individuals (ii) can share information, discuss and debate specific topics and collaborate on an ad-hoc basis. The DC3 participants engage in an open and constructive effort aimed at:

• Making Community Networks (CN) visible to policy makers so they can be properly considered as an actor in the telecommunications ecosystem.
• Identifying good open-access resources that may be useful to communicate to non-techies what CN are and how they work;
• Mapping existing CN and try to foster communication amongst them, promoting strategies to achieve common goals;
• Identifying models of CN (e.g. rural CN, urban CN, etc.) and best practices that can make them particularly efficient and resilient both from a technical and organizational perspective;
• Identifying best practices and worst practices as regards national and international policies that facilitate or hinder the deployment of community networks.
• Consolidating and publishing these ideas into some ‘Community Network Guidelines/Best practices’ to be presented at the next IGF and divulgated on the future DC3 website.
• Supporting CN gatherings and hands-on work meetings at a regional and global level.
• Addressing common technology development needs, from identifying technological bottlenecks to helping find the resources needed to solve them in a manner that will be beneficial to the sector as a whole.
• Developing a framework for easy access to promote the deployment of CN in remote areas.

The aforementioned list includes the DC3 main purposes (hereinafter “DC3 purposes”). In order to fulfil the DC3 purposes, members may propose that the DC3 elaborates research material, promotes joint initiatives and/or endorse common statements. In such cases, the following procedure must be followed:

1. A concise and clear proposal shall be shared on the mailing list. Such proposal shall (a) specify the reasons why the aforementioned material, initiative or statement should be promoted by the DC3; (b) request for comments of the DC3 members; (c) and request for the DC3 to act. Such initial proposal shall identify the DC3 members who would be willing to coordinate the elaboration of material, initiative or statement.
2. The discussion on whether the DC3 should consider moving forward in order will last no less than 10 calendar days.
3. If no more than 5% of the DC3 raise an objection to the proposed course of action, a draft proposal will be made available to the list, and members will be provided with at least 10 calendar days to comment.
4. Further to this initial comment period, the drafters will circulate a second draft on the mailing list and members will be provided with at least 10 calendar days to comment and raise any arguments against the second draft.
5. The draft resulting from the compilation of the comments expressed during the second comment-period is supposed to be based on consensus (iii). Decisions on the endorsement of the final draft will be made by voting (iv).

(i) DC3 MEMBERSHIP. Every individual or organisation is free to request membership. Membership can be acquired by sending an email to contact@DC3site.to.be.decided or to the DC3 mailing list, specifying one’s name, affiliation and stakeholder group (to be chosen between Tech Community, Civil Society, Academia, Private Sector, Government or Intergovernmental Organisation).

(ii) MAILING-LIST PARTICIPATION. Participation on the mailing list does not necessitate nor imply membership in the DC3. Every individual is entitled to participate on the DC3’s mailing list but only DC3 members enjoy voting privileges. Any objections raised by non-members do not count against the 5% threshold in the elaboration or adoption process. List members can be suspended in case of inappropriate conduct, such as personal attacks on the DC3 mailing-list, deliberate attempts to disrupt the activities of the DC3 or to impede the fulfilment of the DC3 purposes.

(iii) CONSENSUS. Consensus can be understood as an acceptable resolution that can be supported by the group at large, even if it is not the preferred option of each and every individual. Consensus is reached when no Member objects the final version of a given document or when no more than 5% of members object the final draft further to a vote defined in (iv).

(iv) ENDORSEMENT. When a proposed document is objected, endorsement can be achieved through voting. In order to be endorsed any proposal will require affirmative majority assent from the named individuals/entities listed as members of the DC3 on its website. Any DC3 member may affirmatively object to the proposal. The proposal is adopted if no more than 5% of the named individuals/entities object to it. Such a percentage is computed considering every organisation member as two individuals and taking into consideration no more than two individual members sharing the same affiliation. National branches of a company or organisation share voting privilege with their parent company or organisation.

For those proposals which are considered by consensus to be worth Coalition endorsement, any individuals or organisations who object or otherwise for any reason wish to recuse themselves from the endorsement may do so unilaterally, and will be noted appropriately.