ahumanright.org is a charity group that plans to buy a
used satellite, and use it as the first step in a network that
would provide free Internet access to everyone in the world
For those of us who live in the developed world, internet
access has become pretty much a given. It’s become so ubiquitous
that we almost expect to have it at all times and in all places,
but even in this “Information Age,” the majority of the world’s
population lacks access to the internet – either because service
isn’t available where they are, or they can’t afford it. Kosta
Grammatis has a plan, however. Through his charity group
ahumanright.org, Grammatis aims to set up a network of
satellites that will provide free internet access to everyone in
the world. He’s starting by attempting to buy a single used
satellite that’s already in orbit and moving it to a location
above a developing country.
The spacecraft in question is the Terrestar-1 communications
satellite. Given that the company that owns it, Terrestar, has
recently filed for bankruptcy, it may soon be up for sale.
Grammatis’s plan is to raise US$150,000, so that his group can
put together a business plan for funders, process the legal and
business aspects of submitting a bid, and hire engineers to
figure out how to move and repurpose the satellite. At the time
of this publishing, he has raised a total of $37,687.
Once it has the money,
ahumanright.org will make a bid on Terrestar-1, begin
developing a low-cost modem, acquire an orbital parking spot and
radio wave spectrum, and draw up plans with partner governments.
The final phase of the project would involve actually moving the
satellite into position over a partner country or countries,
distributing the modems, and beginning service.
Grammatis told Gizmag that the idea first came to him at
Palomar 5, a think tank for 30 people under the age of 30 that
took place in Berlin. There, he heard the story of Malawi’s
William Kamkwamba.
“Re-inventing the wheel isn't something we would wish upon
anyone, but William Kamkwamba's story provides an example of the
information disparity slowing down progress for the brightest
minds,” said Grammatis. “William couldn't afford the US$80 per
year it cost to attend school so he spent his time at the
library instead ... over the span of four years he re-invented
the windmill to provide himself with electricity. He shared his
first Google experience with journalists: ‘He said, Do you know
Google? and I said, What animal is a Google? And when I Googled
windmill I found there was millions of applications! I said,
Where was this Google all this time?!’”
While some people might worry that free web access for all
would put internet providers out of business, Grammatis doesn’t
think it would be a problem. “All over the world free television
and radio is beamed to millions of people,” he said. “It's free,
and that service has never threatened cable or satellite TV, in
fact, people are happy to pay a premium for a premium service.
We have the same vision – basic internet access would be free.
It wouldn't be great, but it would do the job.”
While there is currently no price tag attached to
Terrestar-1, ahumanright’s
Buy This
Satellite fundraising website points out that a used Iridium
communications satellite was sold in 2000 for $23 million – a
steal, considering it reportedly cost $5 billion to build new.
Still, the whole venture sounds quite daunting, and it likely
wouldn’t be possible without the help of highly-motivated
volunteer “ambassadors” who are promoting the charity around the
world.
“We're not going to do this alone, and the response has been
outstanding,” said Grammatis. “If we all sat around and waited
for someone to solve our problems, we'd be waiting a long time.”