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Press Release: Outernet Test Signal is LIVE

Today is an historic day.

Today, the first step was taken towards universal information access when Outernet unveiled its first broadcast signal to the public. The doors have officially opened to humanity’s public library, but watch out for the wet paint. Many of the bookshelves are not finished yet and there is still much more work to be done.

For one, the signal right now only touches about 1.3 billion people, far short of 100% of humanity. North America, Europe, most of the Middle East, and North Africa are the only regions currently receiving the Outernet signal. This test signal is being broadcast over Ku-band, which requires a dish and a slightly complicated assembly process, though everything does work. Outernet also has a limited selection of content: a few hundred Wikipedia articles, a few dozen books from Project Gutenberg, and a similar number of news articles from Deutsche Welle. Again, this will expand very soon. Users can request content via a basic form, a process that will mature significantly in the coming months.

Yet, slowly, the grip of censorship is being pushed back. Today, Outernet also announces a very exciting partnership with Project Gutenberg, the oldest producer of free ebooks. Greg Newby, Director of the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, says,

"I'm thrilled at the Outernet vision of free-to-air broadcast of eBooks and other content. It is Project Gutenberg's mission to encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks. We have a focus on free access to information for all people, in the pursuit of literacy and enlightenment. Outernet has a vision that is wonderfully aligned with Project Gutenberg, encompassing free access, freedom from censorship and monitoring, and unlimited distribution."

Outernet continues to rely on the support and feedback of individuals and organizations passionate about eradicating barriers to people everywhere reading, watching, and listening to whatever they wish. If Outernet is not broadcasting to your part of the world a right now, we hope to soon.

Outernet challenges you to #ImagineIf censorship did not exist and information were broadcast from space to everyone for free. What would that world look like? What new inventions could be created or diseases cured? What would people read about if their governments no longer deprived them of their right to free information?
Today, we begin moving from imagining to creating.

Project Gutenberg Announces Partnership with Outernet

Outernet is thrilled to announce a content partnership with Project Gutenberg, the oldest provider of free ebooks in the world. As part of Outernet's launch today, we are offering a selection of a few dozen of Project Gutenberg's most popular ebooks, a library we plan to expand very soon.

Greg Newby, Director of the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, said:

"I'm thrilled at the Outernet vision of free-to-air broadcast of eBooks and other content. It is Project Gutenberg's mission to encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks. We have a focus on free access to information for all people, in the pursuit of literacy and enlightenment. Outernet has a vision that is wonderfully aligned with Project Gutenberg, encompassing free access, freedom from censorship and monitoring, and unlimited distribution. I am enthusiastic about Outernet's effort to bring eBooks from Project Gutenberg and other great collections to a broader audience."

Syed Karim, CEO of Outernet, said:

"For decades, Project Gutenberg has been pioneering increased access to knowledge and dissemination of the wealth of creativity found in public domain works. Outernet is honored and excited to have Project Gutenberg as both a launch partner and critical element of the Outernet core archive."

Wanted: Content Partners

Outernet is looking for content partners who are aligned with our mission of creating humanity's public library. Much of the content that Outernet broadcasts will already be in the public domain or available under a creative commons license. Even so, we believe that if our missions are shared, we can accomplish more together rather than Outernet just quietly broadcasting a potential partner's content over our network. Project Gutenberg, one of Outernet's early content partners, is an excellent example of this.

If you or your organization has content that you believe would enhance Outernet's mission, please get in touch with us. Here are some notes for potential content partners:

We are working with all types of organizations, from for-profits to non-profits and governments.

We are interested in any type of content. Outernet broadcasts bits, so text, audio, video, and software are all fair game.

When it comes to licenses, it is easiest to broadcast content that is either in the public domain or under a creative commons license. However, we are working with partners to adequately address copyright.

With all Outernet content, we offer the only vehicle to achieve truly global distribution. The Outernet signal will soon be available everywhere and will always be free to our users. Do you want your work to touch every human on Earth?

Please contact Outernet's Director of User Engagement, Thane Richard, to inquire about content partnerships. Email thane@outernet.is.