This month, The Digital Divide looks at ways people are putting communications back in the hands of the community and how technology is shaping the future of how we work.

First, we speak with the Personal Telco Project, a Portland nonprofit dedicated to the idea that people should have a bigger say in how their electronic networks are operated. They began in 2000 by turning people's houses and apartments into wireless hotspots (or "nodes"), and then set about building networks in public locations such as parks and coffee shops. We'll also take a look at the failed MetroFi attempt to cover Portland and hear recent news about another wireless provider, Clearwire.