Start Your Own ISP

The majority of rural areas in the United States do not have access to fast and reliable internet, due to a lack of internet service providers (ISPs). Some private companies like SpaceX are attempting to address this issue through the use of a swarm of low orbit satellites, but the website https://startyourownisp.com/ offers an alternate community driven solution. The website lays out a step by step guide on how one could start their own variant of an ISP called a wireless internet service provider (WISP). Instead of connecting customers to a main fiber line via a small high frequency cable, a WISP connects customers to a main fiber connection via wireless devices. The most common network structure of WISP includes a data center or a commercial building with a fiber connection to the internet, and a relay site that wirelessly connects customers to a main fiber line. The benefit of this wireless structure is that it is much cheaper than having to lay new cable, and can achieve reasonable speeds of up to 150Mbps.

The website details 10 steps to become a WISP and includes technical aspects such as choosing a hardware stack and designing a network topology, as well as less technical aspects like customer acquisition, marketing and billing . These steps are comprehensive, but there is no mention of cybersecurity. Since this website is targeted towards people outside of the field, this poses a significant security risk. This resource suggests a potential change in a control point of the internet from large telecommunication companies to local businesses in some regions of the United States. It also demonstrates how a change in control points can decrease the effectiveness of cybersecurity.