A cooperative service provider
(Link:
in english
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kaikki jutut)
Can an Internet service provider be a cooperative society which is owned by the users? It certainly can. Since 1993, the cooperative Katto-Meny has specialised in providing e-mail and web-hosting to cultural and educational associations, small enterprises, artists, authors, journalists etc.
Each member of this non-profit-making enterprise owns one share (priced at 42.05 euros) and one vote at the yearly assembly. The Board sets the guidelines for the rather many-dimensional activity of the cooperative and the moderate prices of its member-services. Katto participates in a number of cultural and library-related projects, including the European network Inter-Citizens' Conferences.
Katto's activity is built around "The Knot in the Cable", its internet-server, which is located in the Cable Factory in Helsinki. Please find a selection of key web-addresses and members of the cooperative: The Knot in the Cable:
solmu.kaapeli.fi
Services and Prices
The cooperative offers its members a number of Internet-related services at fixed prices: A group account in Katto's system (katto.kaapeli.fi) includes userID:s, email-addresses, a mailing-list, a publication-directory for the World Wide Web and modem or ISDN access at 0.30 cents/hour. Price: 5-25 euros /month (incl. 1-5 User accounts).
A personal account in Katto's system costs 5 euros/month. This is suitable for e.g. authors, artists and freelance-jornalists. See our price listfor details.
Internet Cooperatives
A list of computer-related cooperative links is being maintained at the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives (UWCC). The list mentions a number of cooperative internet service providers like Katto-Meny. Link:
http://www.uwcc.wisc.edu/links/internetlinks.html
Yours,
Mikael Böök
on behalf of the management and the board.
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