Community-Oriented Internet Service Providers

Herein I sketch a model for a Community-oriented Internet Service Provider (CISP). I define a CISP as any ISP who works with local institutions to provide services of local or special interest. Some providers such as LibertyNet focus on a local region exclusively. I think that the press's focus on business and commerce on the Net has distracted many ISPs from recognizing the importance of supporting their local communities. I hope my comments help ISPs and ISP customers to build local and special interest communities on the Net! I think Hillary Rodham Clinton is correct, "It takes a Village"!

Advantages of CISPs for Internet users

I think the community-oriented ISP could become one of the centerpoints of local affairs. They could become the town hall for your region. The place where issues are discussed and actions begin. CISPs may become the embodiment of the motto "Think globally, act locally".

If you would like to find a CISP near you check out The List of Internet Service Providers and ask each ISP who supports local dial-up access to you what community services they provide.

Here's my current list of reasons to join a CISP:

• Meet the people in your area and "follow" their work.
• Network with interesting people in your community.
• Form projects and work with other interested citizens in the region.
• Represent your community in regional, national and global forums.
• Support your local small business community.
• Price: CISPs are often cheaper. They are a local phone call away for voice and modem. And most of them offer unlimited interactive use pricing that is lower than a monthly cable bill!
• Since CISPs are smaller and tend to have fewer users, you are much more likely to get the username (E-Mail address) you want.
• The larger a network becomes the more complex the engineering. Some of the largest ISPs are experiencing nearly unsurmountable technical challenges. Some may even lose your E-Mail. Internet technology was developed on networks supporting user-bases of maybe 10,000 or so users. ISPs with more users than that begin to experience difficulties of scale. Maybe in 5 years they will have some of the glitches worked out, but solutions to these problems are not simple and will take time and money to develop and debug. Your local ISP is generally using technology that has been proven reliable on thousands of sites around the Net.
• Many small CISPs offer faster service to most sites than big guys like AOL (they have less network for their users to traverse).
• The Internet is like a telephone and a library. One function a library can serve is to be a place to find out what is going on in the local community. CISPs could support these types of services.
• Some CISPs can offer extensive technical support. Perhaps by offering to have a high school student or staff member go to your home to configure the service and explain how to get started on the Internet, etc. This level of support is generally not available from larger ISPs.
• Large telecom companies run huge inefficient bureaucracies. They are good at raking in bucs. But the small ISP generally runs more efficiently. And you can often find someone who will actually fix the problem for you!

Notes for CISPs

Small businesses are not easy to run. And running an ISP is so extraordinarily complicated that not anyone can do it (there is no such thing as an ISP in a box!). However, with the right marketing plan, a strong base in your community, and an Internet guru, you may be able to build a successful Internet business.

If you are just starting to think about becoming an ISP, read the Internet Provider Resources web page. If you need consulting advice, I'm available. And subscribe to the inet-access mailing list (inet-access-request@earth.com).

Many CISPs have adopted the home/office model and save tremendously on the overhead of office space. Since becoming an ISP (with a home/office arrangement) can be accomplished for something like $50,000 in the greater Philadelphia area, it is possible for smaller entrepreneurs to "play." These factors mean that enterprising "Mom & Pop" ISPs appear to be a viable business operation.

I have been working with several small ISPs to develop marketing ideas for CISPs. Here's a list of some of my thinking about how to support your community and run a successful "Mom & Pop" ISP business. Depending on your values, some of these would be done as a pro bono community service, others might be offered as an introductory promotion and others would only be offered "at the going rate". Such decisions I'll leave to each businessperson's individual choice.

• Provide a community bulletin board with announcements of upcoming events.
• Work with your neighborhood association to publish their activities and contact information.
• Work with the Chamber of Commerce to publicize their activities and support other neighborhood businesses.
• Work with your library to provide Internet access stations, run demos and/or classes.
• Offer classes to improve your customers' (and others') Internet skills.
• Work with local health care providers and officials to educate people about protecting their health.
• Work with local government agencies (e.g., the Fire and Police departments) to publish public service announcements (such as fire and crime prevention documents and other safety related materials).
• Work with local politicians to inform the region of pending measures in local government.
• Work with schools to build their Internet presence.
• Help make the world a better and more informed place!

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