What did you do with your old computer? Yes, that Pentium 3 or 4; or even that ancient laptop which you forgot all about when you got yourself the latest machine. Chances are it’s probably gathering dust somewhere. But what if we told you that your old computer or laptop could be used to get an entire village connected to the World Wide Web? Thanks to an ingenious group of students, IT professionals and academicians who have come together, this is now indeed a possibility. Dubbed ‘ Freedom Box Project’, the initiative by Swecha , an NGO that works towards enlightening the masses about technology and benefits of using the Internet , has already used old computers to successfully provide connectivity to remote villages in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Explaining how it all began, Siddhartha Malempati, the brain behind the initiative in Telangana, says, “It was in March 2015 that I came up with this idea. At Swecha, we wanted to install a network using a Freedom Box in remote areas for free distribution of social networking, email and audio/video communications. We knew that the Freedom Box software can act as a server-router but we still needed hardware to run it. That’s when I thought of using old computers or laptops to establish a server and provide Internet.”Pointing out that this measure turned out to be cost-effective, Siddhartha adds, “Normally, Freedom Box software is expected to be run on an open hardware single-chip computer board, which costs between `5000 to `10000. By inviting people to donate their old computers and laptops, we managed to save this cost by using these old systems to run the software.”While they did find donors who gave their old devices for the cause, setting up a network for a whole village was a different challenge altogether. “Initially, we only had a basic server setup with us. To create a viable connection for an entire village, we had to solder various hardware pieces together to create an antenna that could deliver a good signal upto a distance of 150 to 200 meters,” shares K Satyanarayana, a research scholar from JNTU who is part of the Freedom Box Project.After sorting out the initial technological challenges, the next big step was approaching a village and explaining to them the benefits of a community network.“Gangadevipalli in Warangal was the first village we approached. When we told the villagers about our project, they were very receptive. Why, they even pooled in money for the initiative. While the villagers initially didn’t understand how it all works, once the installation was complete, we went door-to-door, explaining the nitty-gritty and teaching them how they can access Internet using these servers,” Siddhartha explains.The response received by Freedom Box Project is staggering. Currently, the project is operational across 12 villages in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and Swecha has received requests from 70 more villages to set up the system.While it did take time for the villagers to understand how Internet works, it wasn’t long before they got the hang of it. Says Gopi Krishna, a resident of Gangadevipalli, “The whole village has a community network. Through this network, we get to talk to each other, access digital libraries and audio/video content about farming methods, educate ourselves and our children, browse entertainment content... the joys of the Internet are endless. The best part is that it’s owned and run by us. If we don’t get signal, we inform the support teams who then resolve the matter.”The newly-Net savvy villagers are now getting online for everything from educating themselves on government policies to accessing better healthcare. “School students are also using this network for their daily learning and it helps them finish their homework as well. Even doctors are able to learn more about providing better healthcare service in rural areas thanks to this network,” said Joseph Nuthalapati, who is working on various digital privacy products in a private company.Post the success of the Freedom Box Project, developers explain that the time has come for India to make Internet connectivity a fundamental right.“In a paper published by TRAI, it was noted that the cost of delivering Internet using Wi-Fi networks costs a fraction of what it costs using mobile networks. This is due to the licensed nature of commercial mobile networks vs the unlicensed spectrum used by Wi-Fi networks. There are still many areas in our country where the Internet is not available. Further, not everyone is able to pay the price for Internet connectivity. This underlines the importance of community-owned Wi-Fi networks as demonstrated by this initiative,” explains Sunil Mohan Adapa, a US-based product developer, who has been a part of the Freedom Box Project.“This project shows the ability of technology to bring very low-cost Internet connectivity and other facilities such as free voice calling. It shows that Internet connectivity, which is already a citizen’s legal right in some countries, can be provided to everyone and not just those who can afford it. Internet connectivity is changing the way people conduct commerce, get educated and even receive medical treatment,” he adds.While attempts are on to ensure that the project reaches more villages across the Telugu states, Siddhartha urges people to donate their old computers or laptops to help setup WiFi connectivity in rural areas. “Every old computer is a potential server that can bring thousands of people onto the digital platform through village community network. So, the next time you want to throw an old PC out cos it’s ‘just junk’, please think of us. We, at Swecha, will happily come collect it and a whole village will thank you for it. Your one gesture can transform lives,” says Siddhartha, signing off.