When the Egyptian government blocked Internet access and mobile texting
capabilities in an attempts to thwart protesters’ ability to organize, Kosta
Grammatis had new ammunition to pitch his big idea: what if there was a
satellite service for Internet and phone — affordable for the average
Egyptian — that could not be shut off? Grammatis knows a satellite that
might be up for sale, and he and a few others want to raise money to buy it.
They formed a non-profit called Buy This Satellite in the hopes of acquiring a dormant communications satellite from a company currently in bankruptcy. Grammatis wants to move the satellite from its current orbit above Earth and park it over Africa, offering online access to some of the world’s poorest citizens.
Gizmodo and Boingboing hailed the efforts as noble, if more than a little
pie in the sky. Still, the role played by social media in the Tunisian and
Egyptian uprisings has helped the idea gain a sense of urgency. TIME spoke
with Grammatis on the night the Egyptian authorities cut off all Internet
access in the country.
