introducing…
Meta Mesh began in 2015 as a MESH networking team, experimenting with various radio equipment and frequencies and building city-wide relationships. During the opening of the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020, as people who did not have reliable, or even any, Internet were asked to stay home for school or work, we realized the utility of our expertise and networking solutions if applied to individual homes within targeted communities. Together with community allies and foundation partners, we launched the Every1online initiative, which aimed to install low- or no-cost high-speed Internet in Pittsburgh’s unserved neighborhoods. The team wholeheartedly accepted the challenge to bridge the digital divide in our region.
When the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) launched in early 2022, we applauded the federal government’s recognition of the critical need to address the digital divide not only in Pittsburgh but across the United States. As with the opening of the coronavirus pandemic, we again adjusted our business model to accommodate this new opportunity. We renewed our focus on regional coverage gaps, sometimes examining on a house-by-house level of detail both urban and rural corridors throughout western Pennsylvania to identify high-need areas and the economics of various solutions.
Through this, we realized that we needed to externally acknowledge what we already came to terms with internally - we were no longer the same band of explorers and radio geeks building MESH networks that beneficially shared existing Internet access. We had become a full-on Internet Service Provider, a participant in the FCC’s ACP program, and a well-staffed team of network engineers, field installers, and strategists who delivered new Internet access. We built private, secure networks concurrently delivering Internet for multiple communities around our beloved region. We had well-grounded plans for growth and expansion, a clear path for long-term sustainability as a nonprofit organization. And the communities that we love and know continue to show the need for our services.
So in April 2022, we began the journey of exploring the evolution of our brand.
Today, we announce that we will do business as Community Internet Solutions. Today, we are a non-profit Internet Service Provider delivering equitable, reliable Internet access to communities struggling against the digital divide. Today, we are partners with community leaders and financial and strategic partners. Together, we deliver high-speed, private, and reliable Internet into homes that for too long have endured without.
Meta Mesh Community Wireless will still exist as our legal parent entity.
Please celebrate with us as we roll out more updates in the coming weeks to support our new brand, including new social media handles, more widespread use of our beautiful new logo, and in the coming months, our new website and fundraising platform.