CN Spotlight event 2

ISOC CNI SIG: Community Network Spotlight Online Gathering Series 2026

CN Spotlight Event 2: Indigenous Rights & Digital Sovereignty

• Link to timezone overview

The Internet Society's Community Network and Infrastructure Special Interest Group (ISOC CNI SIG) invites you to join this online community gathering.

The Internet Society (ISOC) is a global nonprofit dedicated to building an Internet that is accessible, secure, and trustworthy for everyone. It advances connectivity, supports Internet infrastructure and governance, and advocates for policies that help the Internet remain an open and inclusive resource for society.

Community-centred connectivity initiatives (CCCIs) around the world have proven essential to efforts to connect the unconnected. Each year, more CCCIs operate sustainably and provide better services to their communities. No longer a fringe experiment, community networks are here to stay.

What does Indigenous Digital Sovereignty look like when it encompasses connectivity, data control, autonomy, capacity building, and shared learning? What risks and challenges have communities encountered, and how can community ownership of digital infrastructure support cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, and economic self-determination?

The ISOC CNI SIG is dedicated to supporting and celebrating community network infrastructures worldwide. Join the SIG via the ISOC website — membership is free.

This event is supported by RMIT Regenerative Futures Institute as part of its Spring 2026 season: Energy Futures.

Agenda and Talking Points

Part 1: CN Spotlight Event Speaker

• Welcome and introduction to the ISOC CNI SIG (Jan Brueggemeier, ISOC CNI SIG)

• First Nations Connectivity Road Show (Jenny Fraser, in-person)

• Introduction to the work of the First Nations Digital Inclusion Index in Australia (Daniel Featherstone, in-person)

• Community Networks in Indonesia (Gustaff Iskandar, Common Room, online)

• One example of Indigenous connectivity in the North American region (ISOC - TBC, online)

• Running Internet Exchange Points in Fiji and PNG (Warren Finch, ISOC - pre-recorded)

• How do international telecommunication frameworks translate into an Australian context - a short conversation between Adriana Labardini (Rhizomatica, Mexico; online) and Daniel Featherstone (FNDIAG)

Part 2: Open questions and how do we continue the conversation?

Speaker overview

• Jenny Fraser (Migunburri, Artist Curator, in-person)

• Daniel Featherstone (First Nations Digital Inclusion Index, FNDIAG, in-person)

• Gustaff Iskandar (Artist & Community Networks Builder, Indonesia, online)

• Adriana Labardini (Rhizomatica, Mexico, online)

• Warren Finch (ISOC, pre-recorded)