Want to Help the Developing World? Buy a Satellite

Buying a satellite isn't usually on the top of the list of potential actions for activists working around global poverty issues. But that's exactly what one campaign wants you to do.

If you’re reading this online, this means you have a computer and access to the Internet. But 5 billion people around the world do not, and the vast majority of them live in the developing world.

The Terrestar-1 satellite and some good ole' ingenuity from a team of movers and shakers over at buythissatellite.org might begin to change that. These folks hope to use the satellite to bring Internet access to at least one part of the world that needs it.

How? Terrestar-1, a bus-sized satellite that connects to a tiny handset called the Genus, is a bit of a rebel without a cause at the moment. Launched in 2009 to provide mobile communications to North America, the satellite is owned by the soon-to-be-bankrupt TerreStar Corporation, making it up for grabs.

That’s where the "Buy This Satellite" campaign comes in, courtesy of ahumanright.org. They want to buy the satellite and move it over to a country where Internet bandwidth is low. They list Papua New Guinea as a possible contender, namely because it has an orbital parking spot available. The move would provide Internet access to six million people who didn’t have it before. Throw Indonesia in and you can add 243 million to that. That’s nothing to scoff at.

In a world dominated by having access, those parts without it are coincidentally often some of the poorest. Democracy, agriculture, and everyday livelihoods all revolve around connectivity.

The "Buy This Satellite" campaign wants to raise $150,000 out of the gate before making a formal offer to TerreStar, which hasn’t set a pricetag as of yet. Last we checked, they had raised $27,000.

Of course, costs like rent and obstacles on the ground are a concern. But while the project will allow scaled-down free Internet access to everyone, it will also offer high-bandwidth to telecommunications companies, which could make the whole thing scalable.

It’s not a done deal and it’s certainly not fool-proof, but this may be the most unique response to the digital divide in our time. With a little bit of buzz, this thing could really take off.

If you’ve got a few shekels to spare (they’re not asking for much), head on over to buythissatellite.org and make a donation.

For most of us the Internet is at our fingertips, but now you have a chance to put it in your hands. Will you let that opportunity pass?

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GOT A TIP FOR US? Is there a story or campaign in your area that we'd want to know about? E-mail us at humanrightstips@change.org. Please also follow Change.org's Human Rights page on Facebook and Twitter. Photo Credit: Jill Clardy