Kosta Grammatis Wants to Buy Satellite to Bring Free Internet Access to Entire World

Through his nonprofit A Human Right, scientist Kosta Grammatis is working to purchase a satellite that could provide free Internet access to developing countries.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on December 22 2010

You probably use Google to research work projects a dozen times a day. You read and respond to messages instantly, with just a few clicks. You might even be doing some last-minute Christmas shopping online right this minute.

Most of us take Internet access for granted, but imagine all the convenience and access to knowledge you’d lose if you had to go without. Most of the world is still not connected: seven out of 10 people have no Internet access. But a scientist named Kosta Grammatis is hoping to change that: It’s his goal to bring free Internet access to every person in the world.

He believes that when people have access to knowledge, they have access to power. William Kamkwamba, a young man from Malawi, wanted to build his own windmill to provide his town with electricity—but he never could have done it if he hadn’t found Internet access at a library. “When I Googled ‘windmill,’ I found there was million of applications! I said, ‘Where was this Google all this time?!’”

Making the Internet available to the entire world is a huge and expensive challenge, but Grammatis has found a solution: The Terrestar-1 satellite, which is owned by a bankrupt company, is up for sale. Through his non-profit, A Human Right, Grammatis wants to raise $150,000 to finalize a business plan, then find investors to help finance the satellite’s purchase and operations.

Once the satellite has been bought, the organization will re-position it over one of the partner countries, distribute low-cost modems, and help everyone get connected. The geographical location covered by the satellite is huge: “Currently, it can cover all of America, southern Canada, and northern Mexico,” Grammatis told the Christian Science Monitor. However, since Internet access is relatively common in this region, his ultimate goal is to move the satellite to provide coverage through most of Africa.

Want to aid Grammatis in his mission of providing Internet access to all? Help buy the satellite here.

Learn more about the plan in Grammatis’ TEDx Talk.

Filed under: Non-Profits, Science,

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