Introducing Personal Telco

Personal Telco is a collection of individuals, businesses, and organizations who share -- or plan to share -- internet connectivity rather than hoard it. It's also a group of volunteers who want this network to grow. We believe internet access should be available, fair, and uncensored. Personal Telco Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Portland, Oregon. (Link to "AboutThePTP" page instead of previous sentence? Introductions are important, important to be concise, etc..) You can help us help everybody with a donation of your time, money, or bandwidth. If you don't live in Portland, there may be a similar group near you (Link! / Wikipedia?). If not, maybe you could start one!(Link!)

TODO: Move this section elsewhere on website. Good to mention these benefits but probably best not here...

Portland, Oregon is a dense urban area. It's a waste of time, money, electricity, and natural resources for each business, household, and apartment renter to sign up for internet service, wait for a maintenance worker, buy or rent a router, configure that router, and then individually help every customer, employee, family member or visiting friend to connect to their wifi hotspot. It can be much easier!

Want Internet?

Personal Telco Project operates numerous open-access free-to-the-end-user networks around the city, thanks to the generosity of our hosts. Check out our wifi map.

Explain why they're called nodes. This is sorta done here: https://personaltelco.net/wiki/PotentialNodeOwnerFaq
Benefits of PTP vs. open wifi APs
Network effects. Describe useful things people can do when on the same network as their neighbors (separate page)
Note: suggest PTP to businesses, organizations, individuals
Suggestion: thank businesses, organizations, individuals who are using PTP nodes / having open wifi
These pages could be useful:
- https://personaltelco.net/wiki/NodePropositionFlyer
- https://personaltelco.net/wiki/Publications

Want to Help?

Personal Telco welcomes all comers. Whether you're a technology wizard or technically incompetent, volunteering with us is a great way to learn something new, enjoy teaching others, or use your skills to do something useful.

Mention meetups, email, irc, etc
Success stories! User testimonials? Dreams come true: jobs, love stories, etc?
Link to ways individuals can help
History of project: https://personaltelco.net/wiki/AboutThePTP
Explain gift economy
https://personaltelco.net/wiki/Publications

Want to Host a Network?

Are you an individual, business, housing project, neighborhood group or other organization that would consider sharing your internet connection with your friends and neighbors? There are many benefits to doing so, and only a few drawbacks — most of which can be overcome or minimized. Get in touch to learn more! Have a look at the PersonalTelcoHandbook to get started.

"They will appreciate it, and might even thank you somehow." Mention potential benefits and potential drawbacks. Probably on a separate page! These pages could be useful:

https://personaltelco.net/wiki/PersonalTelcoHandbook (is this included or copied: PotentialNodeOwner ?)
NodePropositionFlyer
PenguinDayNotes?highlight=(volunteer)
Publications

Want to Build a Better Tomorrow?

Telecommunications Policy in the USA is badly broken. The Personal Telco Project is interested in seeing this changed, to make networks work for their users and not for creativity-stifling, abundance-limiting, self-interested, profit-maximizing overlords. Help us to make user-empowering telecommunications policy a reality. Talk to us, talk to your representatives in government. Demand sanity.

Contact Us

Email

The Nature of Personal Telco

The PTP is an all-volunteer organization: many of us have neck beards. Therefore, please be patient if you do not get an immediate reply! But don't worry. We have a good track record, we care about what we do, and we will respond to your communications as soon as possible.

Subject Matter	Contact
General Questions / Help	info@personaltelco.net
Tech Support	`<ops AT personaltelco DOT net>`
Personal Telco's Website*	`<webmaster AT personaltelco DOT net>`
Get Involved	MailingList / IRC

* Our website is a wiki. That means you can edit it yourself! Learn how, then try it out!

There are also other ways to contact us.

View event list / Subscribe to calendar

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Monthly Meeting
When: Wednesday, June 25, 2025, 6:30-8:00pm
Where: NodeLuckyLabNW
See: MeetingJune2025

RecentChanges

Links
Nodes: Map, List,Summary, Addition Checklist
Munin Graphs OLSR Status Blog IRC / Mailing List

-  ← Revision 224 as of 2012-03-11 20:18:31 →
  Size: 9340
  Editor: DanRasmussen
  Comment: Moved paragraphs from OTHER new homepage, until decision time
+  ← Revision 225 as of 2012-03-28 13:07:59 →
  Size: 6114
  Editor: DanRasmussen
  Comment: Partially merged content from PersonalTelcoConstructed
-Deletions are marked like this.
+Additions are marked like this.
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-This is a rewrite of PersonalTelco (the wiki homepage) as initiated by Dan Rasmussen. It's intended to replace the PersonalTelco homepage as-is, as opposed to PersonalTelcoUnderConstruction, which is an improved, but not yet complete or polished, version of this page. It could use your help!
+PersonalTelcoUnderConstruction, is an (in some ways) improved, but not yet complete or polished, version of PersonalTelco (the wiki homepage). PersonalTelcoConstructed, on the other hand, is a page DanRasmussen thinks is ready (or nearly ready) to replace the PersonalTelco homepage as-is. I welcome your suggestions on this page. Still working on merging improvements from PersonalTelcoConstructed into it. -- DanRasmussen <<DateTime(2012-03-28T13:07:54-0800)>>
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-== You: A Person Curious What Personal Telco is ==

You may have heard of something called "the internet." We're big fans! We believe internet access should be free, safe, and  uncensored. Portland, Oregon is a dense urban area. We think it's a waste of time, money, electricity, and natural resources ('''links!''') for each business, household, and apartment renter to sign up for internet service, wait days for a maintenance worker, purchase or rent a router ('''link'''), learn how to configure that router, and then individually help every customer, employee, family member or visiting friend to connect to their wifi hotspot. It can be much easier!  Personal Telco is a collection of individuals, businesses, and organizations ('''Link to sections below!''') who share (or plan to share) their internet connection instead of hoarding it. It's also a group of volunteers who want this network to grow. Personal Telco Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Portland, Oregon. ('''Link to "AboutThePTP" page instead of previous sentence? Introductions are important, important to be concise, etc..''') You can help us help everybody with a donation of your time, money, or bandwidth (appropriate links). If you don't live in Portland, there may be a similar group near you. ('''Link! / Wikipedia?''')
+<<Anchor(intro)>>

== Introducing Personal Telco ==

Personal Telco is a collection of individuals, businesses, and organizations who share -- or plan to share -- internet connectivity rather than hoard it. It's also a group of volunteers who want this network to grow. We believe internet access should be available, fair, and uncensored. Personal Telco Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in [[PortlandOregon|Portland, Oregon]]. ('''Link to "AboutThePTP" page instead of previous sentence? Introductions are important, important to be concise, etc..''') You can help us help everybody with a donation of your time, [[https://www.personaltelco.net/donate|money]], or bandwidth. If you don't live in Portland, there may be a [[WirelessCommunities|similar group near you]] ('''Link! / Wikipedia?'''). If not, maybe you could start one!('''Link!''')

 

'''TODO: Move this section elsewhere on website. Good to mention these benefits but probably best not here...'''

  ''Portland, Oregon is a dense urban area. It's a waste of time, money, electricity, and natural resources for each business, household, and apartment renter to sign up for internet service, wait for a maintenance worker, buy or rent a router, configure that router, and then individually help every customer, employee, family member or visiting friend to connect to their wifi hotspot. It can be much easier!''
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-'''TODO: Move this section elsewhere on website. Good to mention these benefits but probably best not here...

  Portland, Oregon is a dense urban area. It's a waste of time, money, electricity, and natural resources for each business, household, and apartment renter to sign up for internet service, wait for a maintenance worker, buy or rent a router, configure that router, and then individually help every customer, employee, family member or visiting friend to connect to their wifi hotspot. It can be much easier!'''



== You: A Person Desirous of Internet Access ==

There are many wifi hotspots around Portland. To use them, you often have to do one of the following:

• Purchase a beverage or food. Ask how to get on their network - it's always different! Hope that they know the current password, that you heard them correctly, that you typed it in correctly. Hope their network is compatible with your device(s).

• Track down the owner of a hotspot. Ask how to get on. If you're lucky, they know how. Enjoy fiddling with your wireless settings!

If those options seem like a bother, you've got one more! A Personal Telco "Node" is where a private individual, business, or other entity has decided to make network access freely available to anybody near enough to pick it up. Simply visit our Personal Telco Node Map, and find a node near you.

 * Introduce node concept (definition) - footnote!
+<<Anchor(seek)>>

== Want Internet? ==

Personal Telco Project operates numerous open-access free-to-the-end-user networks around the city, thanks to the generosity of our hosts. Check out our [[http://map.personaltelco.net/|wifi map]].
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- * Node map
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-== You: A Geek, Aspiring Geek or Individual Seeking Volunteer Opportunities ==
+<<Anchor(volunteer)>>

== Want to Help? ==
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-== You: Individual With Internet Access ==

Consider sharing it with your neighbors! There are many benefits to doing so, and only a few drawbacks — most of which can be overcome. Have a look at the PersonalTelcoHandbook to get started.
+<<Anchor(give)>>

== Want to Host a Network? ==

Are you an individual, business, housing project, neighborhood group or other organization that would consider sharing your internet connection with your friends and neighbors? There are many benefits to doing so, and only a few drawbacks — most of which can be overcome or minimized. [[#contact|Get in touch]] to learn more!

Have a look at the PersonalTelcoHandbook to get started.
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-== You: A Business, Housing Project, Neighborhood Group, or Other Organization ==

Consider sharing a network connection with your neighbors! There are many benefits to doing so, and only a few drawbacks — most of which can be overcome. Have a look at the PersonalTelcoHandbook to get started.

The City of Portland has offered to donate to us some of the remaining hardware from the MetroFi network, the city-wide wifi project that was aborted in 2008.  We are looking for partners to help us redeploy this hardware so that it can again be useful.  We need bandwidth and places to mount devices. If you can help us with this, please get in touch <<MailTo(info AT personaltelco DOT net)>>.
+<<Anchor(advocate)>>

== Want to Build a Better Tomorrow? ==

Telecommunications Policy in the USA is badly broken. The Personal Telco Project is interested in seeing this changed, to make networks work for their users and not for creativity-stifling, abundance-limiting, self-interested, profit-maximizing overlords. Help us to make user-empowering telecommunications policy a reality. Talk to us, talk to your representatives in government. Demand sanity.
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-<<Anchor(metrofi)>>

The City of Portland has offered to donate to us some of the remaining hardware from the MetroFi network, the city-wide wifi project that was aborted in 2008.  We are looking for partners to help us redeploy this hardware so that it can again be useful.  We need bandwidth and places to mount devices. If you can help us with this, please get in touch <<MailTo(info AT personaltelco DOT net)>>. '''Is this section still relevant? And even if it is, does it deserve valuable homepage real estate? We should be using this space to get people interested!'''
+## Note: the next line includes a section of the ContactUs page -- DanRasmussen

<<Include(ContactUs, , from="^----$", to="^----$")>>

There are also other ways to [[ContactUs|contact us]].
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+Line 59:
-'''More information/links?'''
+<<Anchor(cal)>>

[[CalendarOfEvents|View event list]] / 

<<RssLink(http://www.personaltelco.net/PersonalTelco?action=rss_rc&amp;unique=1&amp;local=1&amp;ddiffs=1)>>Subscribe to calendar<<MonthCalendar(PersonalTelco)>>

<<Anchor(us)>>

<<Include(^PersonalTelco/20..-..-..,,,sort=descending,items=1)>>
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-== Contact Us ==

If you need help, or have a general question, please send an email to info@personaltelco.net, and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.<<BR>><<BR>>If you need technical operational support please send an email to <<MailTo(ops AT personaltelco DOT net)>>. Keep in mind that we are a volunteer based Network Operations Team and we will try and respond as soon as we can.<<BR>><<BR>>If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions related to this website, please send an email to <<MailTo(webmaster AT personaltelco DOT net)>>, and a web maintainer will get back to you as soon as possible.
+##'''Latest [[MailingList]] Discussions (ptp-general)'''

##TODO: Find way to truncate this list. Probably don't need to show weeks-old posts on homepage...

##<<GeneralList>>
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+<<Anchor(rc)>>

__`RecentChanges`__

<<RssLink(http://wiki.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/RecentChanges?action=rss_rc&unique=1&ddiffs=1)>><<BR>>

##Above link works but doesn't use current https or current url format. However, couldn't get "new format" to work... DanRasmussen

<<RecentChangesList>>
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-||<tablestyle="float:right;position:relative;width:334px;text-align:left;border:0;margin:0px 0px 20px 50px;clear:right;" style="background:#f0f0f0;color:black;text-align:left;padding:1em;border:1px solid #333;"><<RssLink(http://www.personaltelco.net/PersonalTelco?action=rss_rc&amp;unique=1&amp;local=1&amp;ddiffs=1)>>Subscribe to calendar events<<MonthCalendar>><<BR>>[[CalendarOfEvents|View list of events]]<<BR>><<BR>>__`Help`__<<BR>>[[WikiWikiWeb|Wiki projects]] can be a big place, you might start at the WikiTour and look over the HelpContents<<BR>><<BR>> __`RecentChanges`__ <<RssLink(http://wiki.personaltelco.net/index.cgi/RecentChanges?action=rss_rc&unique=1&ddiffs=1)>> <<BR>> <<RecentChangesList>><<BR>>__`Links`__<<BR>>[[http://map.personaltelco.net/|Node Map]] or [[Nodes|Node List]]<<BR>>[[http://wiki.personaltelco.net/CurrentUsers|Current node summary]]<<BR>>[[http://munin.personaltelco.net/personaltelco.net/nocat.html|Munin graphs]]<<BR>>[[http://donk.personaltelco.net/olsr/|OLSR status]]<<BR>>[[http://blog.personaltelco.net|Personal Telco Blog]]<<BR>>[[http://irc.personaltelco.net/|Live chat]]<<BR>>[[http://www.personaltelco.net/donate|Make a donation]]<<BR>>[[NewNodeChecklist|Adding a node? Follow this checklist]]<<BR>><<BR>>__`Latest Discussions`__<<RssLink(http://groups.google.com/group/ptp-general/feed/atom_v1_0_msgs.xml)>> <<BR>> <<GeneralList>> <<GoogleGroupsBox(ptp-general)>><<BR>>__`Ops Discussions`__ <<RssLink(http://groups.google.com/group/ptp-ops/feed/atom_v1_0_msgs.xml)>><<BR>><<OpsList>><<GoogleGroupsBox(ptp-ops)>><<BR>>__`Mailing Lists`__<<BR>>[[http://lists.personaltelco.net/|General List information]]<<BR>>[[http://news.gmane.org/gmane.network.wireless.portland.general|General archives]]<<BR>>[[http://groups.google.com/group/ptp-ops|Network Operations]]<<BR>>[[http://groups.google.com/group/ptp-mgp|Mississippi Grant Project]]||<<BR>><<BR>>



##<<Anchor(Events)>>

##||<tablestyle="border-bottom:1px solid gray;" style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;text-align:center;font-size: ##14px;font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:2px;color:red;border:0;clear:both">Events||



##<<Include(^PersonalTelco/20..-..-..,,,sort=descending,items=10,editlink)>>

##||<tablestyle="width:100;clear:both;" style="border:0">||

<<BR>>

||<tablestyle="clear:both" style="border:0;font-size:12px;color:gray;">Hits: <<Hits>>||
+<<Anchor(links)>>

'''Links'''<<BR>>

Nodes: 

[[http://map.personaltelco.net/|Map]], [[Nodes|List]],[[http://wiki.personaltelco.net/CurrentUsers|Summary]], 

[[NewNodeChecklist|Addition Checklist]]<<BR>>[[http://munin.personaltelco.net/personaltelco.net/nocat.html|Munin Graphs]] [[http://donk.personaltelco.net/olsr/|OLSR Status]] [[http://blog.personaltelco.net|Blog]] 

[[http://irc.personaltelco.net/|IRC]] / 

[[GeneralList2|Mailing List]]

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