Rhizomatica. Guide to develop a public policy of connectivity for indigenous peoples.

Rhizomatica aims to increase access to mobile telecommunications for communities that need or want to build and maintain their own autonomous infrastructure, and due to their economic situation cannot access these services. It creates technologies that reinforce community values such as cooperation, trust, and shared commitment. In today's world, technology is a vehicle for introducing market logic and atomization into the developing world. We are aware of the role that communication technologies play in this process, generally boosting one-to-one communication and that is the reason we strive to put incipient technology at the service of rural and indigenous communities, in a way that reinforces their values and ways of association.

Rhizomatica's four main work areas

·         Policy and Regulatory Advocacy: Create spaces within national and international telecommunications regulatory frameworks to allow community-based communications initiatives to prosper and grow.

·         Technology development: Integrate and develop free and open-source software to facilitate its use in community or small-scale deployments of autonomous GSM networks and digital HF networks. Our goal is to package and document everything to make it usable and suitable for non-technical users.

·         Capacity development and implementation: It has been created a proven model of how to make community-owned communication networks a sustainable endeavor for the community itself. This means that they have the capital to pay for the equipment and sufficient income to cover operating expenses and recoup their investment within a reasonable time. And we work directly with community members and social organizations to make sure they know how to operate, maintain and troubleshoot equipment, as well as how to use technology for the benefit of the community. 

·         Research and knowledge production: Collect and produce knowledge that informs other areas of work to promote and strengthen community and indigenous communication and telecommunications processes around the world. Rhizomatica has a Community Knowledge and Technology Research Center (CITSAC).

Through efforts around the world, we use new information and communication technologies to facilitate well-being, community organization, and personal and collective autonomy. Our approach combines regulatory activism and reform, decentralized telecommunications infrastructure development, direct community involvement and participation, and critical engagement with new technologies.