No matter where you live, you can start organizing within your local community among close friends and neighbors to form your own nonprofit Local Shares Network. Data Roads Foundation will help by providing a place to gather starting funds, legal templates (currently only US IRS law), open source software, and hardware recommendations. In the long term, Data Roads Foundation donations from your community will go towards subsidizing your low income neighbors who fit their charitable class requirements, so they can all become members in your local network at a level everyone can afford.
Here are the proposed monthly costs for different membership levels:
- $5 Voter Membership –
Individual vote on all major cooperative concerns and the Board of Directors, and Board seat eligibility; - $15 Sharing Membership –
Voting rights for all household members age 16 or above, and early access to all sharing tools, including at least one email address with your local cooperative’s domain name; - $66 Network Membership –
All of the above with basic Internet access, as part of the community mesh network. Specific available Internet bandwidth and additional costs vary by address and added services (such as phone and TV)*.
Multiply by 11x for annual membership prepayment (a full month discount!).
*The fastest and least expensive way to increase all services and network bandwidth is to have all your neighbors who share property borders join your local cooperative as Network Members with you. Any low income qualifying neighbors may be eligible for local Shares Network membership and hardware cost subsidies as they become available through donations and grants.
Sign up here today!