The development of community telecommunication infrastructure: An evaluation of rural telecommunications project

摘要

This study investigates the development, discourse, design, and social interactions within the Kutztown community network (CN). Drawing on the theory of Social Construction of Technology, the study employs an in-depth case study approach to investigate how the CN was designed and how the Kutztown community participated in the network development. The findings show that there was little societal input into the design process; the design process was influenced by political economy factors, which now threaten the viability of the network. The study highlights the significant role of intermediation in developing CNs and concludes that community participation should not be limited to particular development stages.