I wrote this up when my Internet was out (lol, nothing better to do). It seems possible. There is a group in Australia (http://www.air-stream.org.au/) doing something similar. Does anyone think something like this could ever take off on a wide scale?

WiFi Community Darknet

Due to ever increasing restrictions being imposed on the Internet and the possibly impending annihilation of net neutrality, it is becoming clear that if we want free (as in freedom, and possibly beer) computer networks we must take matters into our own hands. This is a proposal for a network of community run nodes, either public or private, linked together or hidden.

Technology

Regular consumer 802.11b/g/n routers should be sufficient. WiMax is a possibility once it becomes viable.

Alternate methods of linking could be used if needed (RONJA, etc).

No central AP (access point). Ad-hoc mesh networking for a decentralized network.

For private networks, WPA or WPA2 should be sufficient. For added security and privacy, administrators could use a private Tor or i2p network for anonymous services on top of the Darknet.

Services and Access

For access to the Internet, users could allow their personal net connection to be used. Running this through Tor would be strongly recommended.

Linking individual nodes together without WiFi (for distance limitations, etc) could be done over the Internet. Of course to keep things private and secure, using a VPN (secure, fast) or creating such connections over Tor or i2p (secure, slower) is recommended.

Private USENET, IRC, E-Mail, Jabber networks. Direct Connect and FTP are (among other things) possibilities for file sharing.

Public accessible and editable Wikis.

...and many more things...

Uses
In areas where Internet access is expensive or difficult to obtain, computer users would still be able to communicate with each other.

File sharing.

Accessing and exchanging censored materials (think Wiki leaks, information on Falun Gaung (sic), Tienanmen Square, etc).

I've actually had very similar ideas before, and I've put a lot of thought into them; especially now that the fall of net neutrality is an actual possibility. As you said, WiMax would be a huge help, but standard routers would be fine for urban areas. We could quite literally make a free Internet. A network with websites just like the current Internet, the only huge differences being twofold:

1 - It's free
2 - No speed caps. You can go as fast as your hardware will allow.

To connect further away, there's something called 'dark fiber.' It's fiber optic cables that haven't been used, and were buried only for future use. There's hundreds of thousands of miles of unused cable. The only problem is money. If this net neutrality downfall becomes a reality, I think enough people would be willing to throw in a buck or two to help themselves and others.

This is something I've been pondering for about a year now. It's nice to see some interest in similar ideas.

Stuff like this is already being done in Germany very widely.

I think it's better for everyone if you just have actual, wired networks inside your communities. Don't fuck around with wireless. It's slow and it's insecure.

freifunk, I think the name is for the german network. google.

I approve this thread and its content.

( and i have also contemplated it )

P.S. welcome to the temple