An ambitious new plan called “Project Loon” is hoping to deliver free internet to remote areas of the globe by using giant balloons that transmit internet to the ground.

The balloons will be sent up twice as high as airplanes and weather, to float in the stratosphere. They will fly roughly 20 km above the Earth’s surface in the stratosphere, and will be able to move with the wind while still providing service.

The project began in June of 2013, when thirty balloons were launched in New Zealand. The project then extended to larger areas, and will soon be operating in most of the southern hemisphere. Although Project Loon is still in testing, engineers expect it to be fully operational for widespread use in just a few years.

As governments and corporations move to take control of the internet, there are more and more independent ventures hoping to build a new and free internet. As we reported several months ago, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has announced that the company is currently developing a micro-satellite network that will work to bring cheap and unrestricted internet access to the world.

John Vibes writes for True Activist and is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war.