I've been hoping for such a thing.
Is a peer-to-peer world-wide (or coast-to-coast) web feasible? Seems like the latency issues would be insurmountable.
I'd put one up.
There are interesting tests going on in some metros for consolidated MANs (Metropolitan Area Networks) that utilize switching equipment in most big city communication hubs (hospitals, for example) that act as isolated networks for business continuity purposes.
Large MANs in relatively close proximity to one another (i.e. Tampa and Orlando in Florida) could be linked through several major providers’ fiber backbones. Those backbones could provide fast Internet routes to other MANs with redundant discrete paths to provide fault tolerance. Laggy over long distances, but fast in the metro.
As government takes over the Internet, we’ll have to rely on local resources to connect. A good example of this is HAM radio. The HAM radio community is on the wane, but I’m of the belief that any true survival-minded American should be familiar with HAM radio operations. The government may license the airwaves, but they can’t shut them down.
As such, if we can build up a consumer market for personal wireless hubs that can ad-hoc with others in the area without any centralization (think: P2P), we can continue to communicate regardless of Internet connection availability. The Chinese can (illegally) circumvent their government web control through the use of satellite technology. The same could be applied here.
Latency would be measured in minutes, but that’s not the biggest problem. Where would you get connectivity to the internet? There are only a handful of companies that provide the base bandwidth we all use and which the ISPs and others all share, and once the FCC gets hands on the IXPs (internet exchange points) and backbone carriers, you’re screwed.