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The goal of the Lawrence Freenet project is to provide true wireless broadband to everyone, everywhere, all of the time, free. The organization began its journey toward this goal by providing free access to low income families. This free access is supported by charging a fee to those who can afford the service. Using this financing method, Freenet has been able to provide broadband Internet services to hundreds of Lawrence residents - free of charge.
With the launch of the "Lifeline" service by the World Company, the Lawrence Freenet Project sees a future where low income families are provided service through an approach that combines the generosity of existing broadband providers with services from public interest groups like ours. As a result, the Lawrence Freenet Project can now begin to dedicate its resources to widening its free service to other elements of the community. With the Freenet-Kids initiative, Freenet seeks to expand free service to every child in the Lawrence community who is under the age of 18.
It has always been the philosophy of Lawrence Freenet that municipal funds are best spent on core city services such as utilities, traffic control, law enforcement, public transit and emergency services. In continuing with this ideal, Freenet is not seeking any public funds to expand the project. Instead, the organization is seeking a loan guarantee that will enable it to expand its coverage, increase its capacity and improve reliability. At the conclusion of this project Freenet will be able to provide broadband wireless Internet service for every member of the Lawrence community who chooses to use it.
As part of this proposal, Lawrence Freenet will provide over $12.28 Million worth of infrastructure and services to the City of Lawrence - free of charge. The Lawrence Freenet project is also offering to provide 375 new laptops each year to disadvantaged students.
Download the full proposal here. |
