"Building a Free Internet of the Future" is a monthly interview series published by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), highlighting the experiences and perspectives of individuals and communities supported by the NGI Zero (NGI0) grants.
NGI0 supports free software, open data, open hardware and open standards projects, aiming to foster a more inclusive and accessible digital future. It provides financial and practical support in different ways, including mentoring, testing, security testing, accessibility, dissemination and more.
To the date, the "Building the Free Internet of the Future" series has featured 11 conversations. In them, we talked about access to vital information anywhere, including isolated communities; balancing accessibility and privacy for secure digital collaboration; a printer for embossing texts and plans; how we write our political values into our code; digital accessibility as a human right; an alternative to YouTube; the urgency of services to civil society; open source software in healthcare; free software to self-organising and local communities; access information when experiencing technical difficulties or are being blocked; and extending the life of consumer electronics.
We think this series is significant because it documents a visionary, grounded and diverse movement for an internet that serves everyone, not just those with the most power or wealth. These interviews underline APC's commitment to promote a free, open and inclusive internet, and support its broader vision for all people, particularly the marginalised, to use and shape the internet and digital technologies to create a just and sustainable world.
Practical, community-based solutions
This series amplifies the voices of individuals and communities often absent from dominant technological narratives. Their real-life experiences reveal the real challenges of digital exclusion and the innovations they have developed to overcome them.
Rather than focus on abstract technological ideals, each interview highlights practical, community-based initiatives funded by the NGI Zero. In this way, the series is based on tangible actions and replicable models that others can learn from and adapt.
Building bridges between Europe and Majority World
By showcasing the collaboration between European funding and concrete projects led by politically engaged people, the projects featured in the series challenge technological colonialism and promote more equitable partnerships in the construction of the internet infrastructure.
For policy makers, technologists and activists, the series serves as a thoughtful resource that informs and inspires. It encourages readers to think differently about what a free, open and inclusive internet really means.
Many participants present internet access not just as a technical issue, but also as a human rights imperative. Issues such as digital accessibility, decentralisation and autonomy are directly linked to social and environmental justice, giving the series ethical weight.
How to get involved
Are you a supporter of initiatives like these? Learn more about the stories in our series and share them with others who may be interested or are even considering applying for a grant.
Are you working on a free and open source project that contributes to the digital commons? Consider applying for NGI Zero funding. A new call for projects opened on 1 June 2025 and will receive proposals until 1 August 2025. We offer grants between USD 5,000 and USD 50,000 and grantees can also request practical support.
Are you an NGI0 grantee working to make the internet more open, inclusive and accessible? Your work is shaping the future and your story deserves to be told. We invite you to be featured in our “Building a Free Internet of the Future” interview series – a platform amplifying the voices of NGI0 grantees driving real-world impact through innovative, community-centred digital development.
By sharing more about your initiatives, you will be starting important conversations. This is also an opportunity to reach global audiences invested in digital rights and internet freedom, and to engage in meaningful conversations with a network of technologists, activists and researchers. Showing how your project creates tangible change for communities is also a powerful way to inspire action.
Whether you’re improving digital accessibility, building community networks, promoting privacy, or enabling Free Open Source infrastructure – your experience matters!
Ready to share your journey?
Xavier Coadic is a consultant for the NGI0 consortium, and a free/libre open source software (FOSS) activist with 15 years of experience in free open source cultures and communities (software, data hardware, wetware, policy makers and political groups, research and development).