Neil Guy described the experiences of the Vancouver Community Network Association as it worked to provide access to the broadest possible community.
From its inception the Vancouver Community Network was committed to the concept of community access and inclusion of all possible communities in the network.
They have worked hard to encourage local groups to post information on the Community Network. They have an Equal Access Committee devoted to promoting community access. This committee has worked hard to spread the word about the community network. Its ability to promote access has been hampered a bit by financial constraints. While groups may be interested in the community network concept they cannot always allocate the funds necessary for the phone lines.
Strategies for getting funding from sponsors or some other means are considered a possibility for addressing some of the problems encountered so far.
He urged community networks to keep their vision of community access especially for those not likely to have access from other sources.
Neil has recently completed his masters thesis on community networks, "Community Networks: Building Real Communities in Virtual Space". The thesis can be viewed at http://www.vcn.bc.ca/people/nkg/ma-thesis.