Here is some hope!
The solution is a grass-roots solution.

To counter central technology, we will use dispersed and independent technology. If and when it becomes necessary or expedient, a community WiFi network is entirely possible. Most people have routers which can sustain a power input of one to three watts. This certainly is enough power to reach several neighbors across the street. This can be done with little more than a three-inch antenna or only a built-in ("invisible") antenna.

Check it out at your home. Look at how many personal networks are available to you if only you had the password. Look at the WiFi settings on your cell phone, tablet, notebook/laptop, or even your desktop. Grass roots techies will rapidly inform the participants in these networks how to improve WiFi reception and reach, using aftermarket antennas or will even encourage the use of wires and other metal objects as antennas to gain greater coverage in the same manner as cell towers. These antennas can be used in much the same was as the old-fashioned TV antennas, in fact some of the newer (free-to-air) long distance antennas might even work if (properly) connected to a router. There are (sports) stadium style WiFi antennas available on ebay that will give you awesome coverage.

The point is that we can build our own WiFi networks and use them to communicate and share information with each other. We can even share cached web information and help and organize each other on a scale and with security that was not possible during the last world war.

To interconnect communities, we will be able to use hill-top and mountain-top repeater radios. Repeaters are small radio stations set up and maintained by Radio Amateurs, aka Ham Radio Operators. These radios can be used to connect distant WiFi networks. I highly recommend to anyone who is even slightly interested or concerned that they get their FCC Radio Amateur license. It will not only make you a more useful citizen but should our rogue government become less benign, it will give you the ability to work for the common man and insure our individual freedoms.

There are a number of organizations which can help you to get a bonafide Radio Amateur license. Education can cost as little as $35 (2016 prices) and the FCC license tests are given by vetted licensees who volunteer to give their time to run the tests. I paid $100 to get the education to pass the (currently) highest available FCC Radio Amateur license in just a few months. The testers are free to charge what they want within reason, but it is so important to them to grow the Ham community that they usually only charge expenses which is a token amount. I had to take three tests and the total test fees turned out to be only $10. Just as an example.

I can only say that the Ham community has a great bunch of stand-up persons. I am extremely grateful to all my Ham friends, some of whom I knew as a boy and some of whom are still my friends. I encourage everyone who has even a remote survival impulse to get at least a novice FCC Radio Amateur license.

And I should also mention that Hams help in rescue operations during local and national disasters. That was the original reason the the government created the Ham licensing. There was a time during the 1920's that it was illegal for any to own or operate an ordinary radio.

On 08/29/2016 12:06 AM, David Schwartz wrote: