About The Local Loop

The Local Loop is an independent journal about how communities get online. It covers three subjects: the history of community networks and the free-net era, public internet access and the digital divide today, and the practical work of building local networks, from municipal broadband to neighborhood mesh.

What the site publishes

Every page is a guide written to be useful on its own. The Network History section documents the free-net era, including the Greater Houston Free-Net that once lived at this domain. The Public Access section maps who can get online now and how. The Community Builds section covers the models and first steps of local network projects.

How it is written

Articles are written in the third person from documented sources: archived pages, public records, official program material and the published history of the systems covered. Where a guide describes a program or a project, the source is named in the text so readers can verify it. The site sells nothing, takes no advertising and has no affiliate arrangements. It is edited by The Local Loop editorial team.

Corrections and suggestions

Errors and outdated program details are inevitable in a field that changes; readers who spot one are asked to write to [email protected] or use the contact page. Corrections are made in the article and noted where the change is substantive.