community network

A community network, or free-net, was a system of community-based bulletin-board systems (BBSs) that began in 1994. These networks provided local citizens with access to public information, often from public libraries. Free-nets were frequently free or low-cost, allowing many people their first connection to the broader Internet for services like email and online information from various organizations.1

The concept was pioneered by American psychologist Tom Grundner, who launched the first true free-net in Cleveland in 1986. The movement spread, with networks often based in libraries and run by volunteers. By 1996, there were 70 free-nets in the U.S. However, reliance on volunteers, limited resources, and the rise of commercial Internet service providers and the World Wide Web led to their decline in the 2000s.1

A computer network connects two or more computers for electronic data communication. Local area networks (LANs) connect devices in a small area like an office, while wide area networks (WANs) cover larger geographic areas.3