The Hidden System

**SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE:** This isn't a story about hackers or rebels. It's about good people recognizing that our internet infrastructure is designed to extract maximum profit rather than serve communities - and deciding to build something better. ## The Problem: ISPs Are Designed for Monopoly Profit Kenneth Finnegan's 2017 blog post "Creating an Autonomous System for Fun and Profit" reveals a fundamental truth: **Our internet infrastructure isn't designed for users - it's designed to create monopolies.** **The System's Built-In Problems:** - Want to run your own server? Extra fee. - Want symmetric upload speeds? Different tier (more money). - Want to switch providers without changing IP addresses? Impossible. - Want redundancy if your ISP goes down? Pay for two connections. - Want any control over YOUR internet connection? Good luck. **The human response?** A group of friends sat down and realized: *"Wait - what if we just... did it ourselves?"* ## What Actually Happened: Community Self-Reliance **The Solution They Built:** 1. **Pooled Resources:** Split a rack at Hurricane Electric's data center (~$200-300/month divided among friends) 2. **Learned the System:** Spent time understanding BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) - the actual routing system of the internet 3. **Got Their Own ASN:** Applied to ARIN for an Autonomous System Number (~$550 fee) 4. **Bought Equipment:** Got a used Cisco 6506 router on eBay for $625 (it's 150 lbs and hilariously oversized) 5. **Peered with Friends:** Set up free peering links with other small networks to bypass ISP transit fees 6. **Shared the Knowledge:** Wrote it all up so others could do it too **Total cost?** Less than most people spend on a single year of premium home internet from Comcast. ## The "Hold My Beer" Engineering Moment Kenneth admits this was partly a challenge from a friend. But here's what's beautiful: **It worked.** **What they achieved:** - Own public IP addresses (no more "you can't run servers" restrictions) - Multiple redundant connections (no single point of failure) - 1Gbps+ bandwidth shared among friends - Complete control over their own network - Cost split makes it cheaper than retail ISPs - Learned how the actual internet works ## Why This Matters: The System Is Designed to Keep You Dependent **Here's the hidden system:** The internet isn't actually complicated. It's a mesh of independently-operated networks that agree to pass each other's traffic. Your home router only needs TWO routes: 1. Local network (your stuff) 2. Everything else (your ISP's stuff) But ISPs have structured the system to make it seem impossible for regular people to: - Get their own IP addresses - Peer directly with other networks - Run their own infrastructure - Control their own connectivity **Why?** Because then they can charge monopoly prices and enforce arbitrary restrictions. ## The Technical Reality vs The Artificial Barriers **What you actually need to be your own ISP:** 1. Public IP address space (available from ARIN) 2. An Autonomous System Number (ASN) - just a unique network identifier 3. A router that speaks BGP (available used for $600-2000) 4. At least two other networks willing to peer with you **That's it.** The rest is artificially constructed complexity designed to keep you paying $50-100/month for internet that costs ISPs ~$5-10/month to provide. ## The Human Networking Behind Computer Networking **The beautiful part:** Kenneth didn't do this alone. It required: - Friends who lent him IPv4/IPv6 address space (with just a signed letter) - Friends at the data center who had spare router ports for free peering - Friends who shared knowledge about BGP configuration - Community willingness to help each other bypass the ISP monopoly **This is what the internet was supposed to be:** People cooperating to route each other's packets, not corporations extracting rents. ## The Broader Mesh Network Movement While Kenneth built an AS in a data center, the same philosophy extends to community mesh networks: **Mesh Network Systems (like the vpn-mesh project) use:** - Raspberry Pi nodes (~$35-50 each) - High-gain WiFi antennas - Weatherproof enclosures - UDP QUIC protocol for unreliable connections - Community-operated infrastructure **These serve areas where:** - ISPs won't build infrastructure (not profitable enough) - Communities can't afford monopoly ISP prices - Governments restrict internet access - Traditional infrastructure has failed ## What This Reveals About Our System **The System Problem:** We've designed internet infrastructure to require: - Expensive enterprise equipment (to keep small players out) - Regulatory complexity (to create barriers to entry) - Artificial scarcity of IP addresses (to maintain control) - Monopoly ISP control points (to extract maximum revenue) **The Human Reality:** People are smart, collaborative, and perfectly capable of operating internet infrastructure when the system allows it. ## Solutions: Redesigning for Community Flourishing **What if we designed internet infrastructure differently?** 1. **Community ISP Support:** Regulatory frameworks that make community-operated networks easy, not hard 2. **Simplified Peering:** Remove artificial barriers to small networks peering with each other 3. **IPv6 Adoption:** Eliminate IP address scarcity (there are 340 undecillion IPv6 addresses) 4. **Open Infrastructure:** Public documentation and support for community networking 5. **Cooperative Models:** Enable neighborhoods to pool resources and share infrastructure ## The Punch Line Kenneth's closing words: *"Some times in life you just need to take the more difficult path. And there's a certain amount of pride in being able to claim that I'm part of the actual Internet. That's pretty neat."* **But here's the thing:** It shouldn't be the "more difficult path." The only reason it's difficult is because we've designed systems to make it that way. **People aren't broken.** They're perfectly capable of operating internet infrastructure, learning BGP, and building resilient networks. **The system is broken.** It's designed to create artificial monopolies and extract rent instead of enabling human flourishing. ## What You Can Do 1. **Learn:** Understand how the internet actually works (it's simpler than ISPs want you to think) 2. **Connect:** Find local mesh network projects or community ISPs 3. **Pool Resources:** Talk to neighbors about sharing internet infrastructure 4. **Advocate:** Support policies that enable community networking 5. **Build:** If you're technical, consider starting your own local mesh **Sources:** - Kenneth Finnegan, "Creating an Autonomous System for Fun and Profit" (2017) - Hurricane Electric BGP documentation - ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) policies - Community mesh network implementations - ChaseWhiteRabbit VPN-Mesh Repository (/Users/tiaastor/02_DEVELOPMENT/libraries/Github/tiation-repos/vpn-mesh) *The internet was built by people who wanted to share information. It's time to reclaim that vision from monopoly ISPs.*

Documentary Evidence

Human Impact

The consequences of these hidden systems affect millions of people daily. Understanding the scale helps us recognize the urgency of systemic change.

System Solutions That Enable Flourishing

Sources & Citations