Save Freenet

Freenet.am, the ISP providing free Internet access to thousands of users throughout Armenia, will finally be shutting down by the end of the month unless it receives immediate funding to carry on its services. This program was initially funded by a grant from the UNDP in 1997. Although the UN decided to cut off funding to the program at the beginning of the year, it allowed its servers to remain operating in a small closet space on the top floor of its Yerevan operations building, until now.

Unless someone steps in to save Freenet from permanently shutting down, a valuable resource catering to over 20,000 registered users across Armenia will simple come to a complete stop. Freenet is an important program. Tens of thousands of dollars have gone into providing free Internet access to anyone with a phone connection and a modem anywhere in Armenia over the last nine years. Additionally, registered users can open free email accounts and even launch their own Web sites. The cessation of this much-needed and in-demand service would be a devastating blow to communicational and technological advancement in Armenia. The fact that Freenet will most likely shut down effectively for good is a real shame.

It is extremely important that something be done to indefinitely perpetuate Freenet’s existence. Funding could come from the private sector given that most if not all potential philanthropic resources are not expressing interest, according to Freenet’s administrators. Or they can come from individual donors. The costs for maintaining Freenet are minimal. Basically there are about four main expenses to run Freenet: utility costs--namely electricity--office rent, broadband connection rent, and the administrator’s salary (part-time). Server maintenance may also be a factor, but for the most part all hardware as well as software is continually kept up-to-date by a highly experienced, meticulous systems administrator (who I personally know). Hopefully, someone will show interest in Freenet’s survival very soon.

For more information, write to Freenet-Daemon@freenet.am. Arthur Harutunyan is the main contact at Freenet.am.