Why Communication Systems Are as Essential as Water, Roads, and Power — and How Communities Are Taking Them Back
We think about infrastructure as roads, bridges, power lines, and water systems.
But there’s a form of infrastructure even more fundamental —
the one that determines how we understand our world.
Information.
Because without reliable communication systems,
health collapses, democracy collapses, and community resilience collapses.
And right now, communities around the world are reclaiming information
the same way they reclaimed food, energy, and local governance.
Let’s flip the script.
Scene 1 — The Hidden Infrastructure We Forgot to Build
For decades, we left our communication systems in the hands of monopolies:
• corporate broadband
• ad-driven media
• privatized data centers
• algorithmic information pipelines
• centralized social platforms
The result?
When crises hit, the information grid fails first.
Recent examples:
• 2024 Maui and 2025 California wildfires — power shutoffs collapsed corporate broadband
• Hurricane Idalia recovery — rural communities offline for weeks
• National news deserts expanded as local stations were sold or shut down
• Social platforms throttled civic content, burying public-service information
• AI-generated misinformation outpaced public health alerts
• Corporate outages (Meta, AT&T, Google Cloud) disrupted hospitals, schools, transit, and public safety systems
We built a 21st-century society on a 19th-century communications foundation.
And it shows.
Scene 2 — Flip the Script: Information Is Public Infrastructure
When a storm hits or an emergency breaks out, people don’t reach for entertainment —
they reach for communication.
Communities are now redesigning information systems
as civic infrastructure —
reliable, owned by the people, and built for collective resilience.
Let’s look at what’s happening right now.
Scene 3 — Recent Examples of Community-Owned Information Infrastructure
1. Municipal Broadband Goes Mainstream (2024–2025)
Cities are building broadband the way they build water systems —
public, affordable, resilient.
Recent examples:
• Chattanooga, TN expanded its public gigabit network to rural counties
• Rochester, NY launched a citywide municipal fiber project
• Boston announced a public broadband feasibility plan for 2025 rollout
• Colorado communities built open-access fiber through regional co-ops
• Tribal nations across the U.S. and Canada secured spectrum rights and built their own networks
Public broadband = public resilience.
2. Public-Interest Media Is Being Reborn
Local news is no longer waiting for corporate rescue—
communities are rebuilding media the way they rebuild public schools.
Recent examples:
• New Jersey’s Civic Info Consortium funding dozens of community newsrooms
• California’s Press Forward initiative (2024–2025) restoring local journalism capacity
• Indigenous-owned media networks launching digital public-service channels
• Detroit and Philadelphia media co-ops providing health, housing, and democracy reporting
• Global public broadcasters adopting Mastodon for community engagement
Public media is transforming back into public service.
3. Cooperative Data Governance Becomes a Civic Standard
Communities want control over the data collected about them —
and they’re getting it.
Recent examples:
• Barcelona and Amsterdam’s “data commons” projects expanding in 2024
• Chicago’s South Side data trust used for health & climate resilience
• Tribal nations adopting data sovereignty protocols (OCAP, CARE)
• Canadian cities requiring community oversight for smart-city data
• Public institutions shifting to open-source “public code” for transparency
Data becomes a shared public asset, not a private commodity.
4. Resilience Communications Networks Save Lives
When the grid fails, community-owned networks step in.
Recent examples (2024–2025):
• Hawaii mesh networks set up after wildfire infrastructure collapse
• California solar-powered routers kept communities online during blackouts
• Indigenous radio networks in Australia and Canada broadcasting emergency alerts
• Libraries in Texas and New Mexico transforming into “digital resilience hubs”
• Community SMS networks used during floods in the Midwest and Philippines
Communication is the first responder.
5. ActivityPub: The Public Internet Backbone
Open protocols are becoming the civic alternative to social monopolies.
Recent examples:
• European public broadcasters launched Fediverse servers
• Universities and libraries host Mastodon communities as public commons
• Newsrooms syndicate local reporting across ActivityPub
• Public TV stations integrate PeerTube streams
• Community groups build federated crisis-communication channels
The Fediverse = the public square rebuilt.
Scene 4 — Why Treating Information as Infrastructure Works
Because when communities control the flow of information, they gain:
• resilience during disasters
• protection from misinformation
• equitable access to education
• stronger local economies
• community health improvements
• democratic participation
• trust in public institutions
• reduced polarization
• better collective decision-making
Healthy information = healthy communities.
Scene 5 — What Mobilized News Can Help Build
Mobilized News can become a global force in this transformation by:
• mapping municipal broadband & public-interest media innovations
• syndicating solutions journalism across the Fediverse
• building a public infrastructure explainer series
• creating a “Community Information Hub Toolkit”
• highlighting Indigenous and cooperative data governance models
• providing WordPress + ActivityPub tools for community newsrooms
• producing neighborhood-level health + resilience information
• elevating stories of communities taking back the information grid
Mobilized News becomes a global public information commons
helping communities build healthier, smarter communication ecosystems.
[CLOSE]
We would never privatize clean water, electricity, or emergency services.
So why did we privatize the thing that shapes how communities understand the world?
The next era isn’t about faster networks or flashier platforms.
It’s about public communication systems that keep people safe, informed, and connected.
Information isn’t a product.
It’s infrastructure.
And communities are taking it back.
Flip the script.
Rebuild the information commons.
Mobilized News.
