Mozilla, National Science Foundation Offer $2M Prize for a Decentralized Web

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Mozilla, National Science Foundation Offer $2M Prize for a Decentralized Web

By CircleID Reporter
June 24, 2017, 7:01 pm PDT Views: 10,158 Add Comment

Mozilla and the National Science Foundation have announced a $2 million prize for ideas that decentralize the web; prizes will be available for both early-stage design concepts and fully-working prototypes. From the announcement: “To connect the unconnected and disconnected across the U.S., Mozilla today is accepting applications for the Wireless Innovation for a Networked Society (WINS) challenges. Sponsored by NSF, a total of $2 million in prize money is available for wireless solutions that get people online after disasters, or that connect communities lacking reliable Internet access.”

To prize is available for U.S.-based entrants to one of the following two separate challenges:

— Off-the-Grid Internet Challenge: “When disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes strike, communications networks are among the first pieces of critical infrastructure to overload or fail. How can we leverage both the Internet’s decentralized design and current wireless technology to keep people connected to each other—and vital messaging and mapping services—in the aftermath of a disaster?”

— Smart Community Networks Challenge: “Many communities across the U.S. lack reliable Internet access. Sometimes commercial providers don’t supply affordable access; sometimes a particular community is too isolated; sometimes the speed and quality of access is too slow. How can we leverage existing infrastructure—physical or network—to provide high-quality wireless connectivity to communities in need?”

By CircleID Reporter — CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.
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