Most systems enable users to send email to anywhere in the world, belong to worldwide mailing lists, and to use national newsgroups. A smaller number of systems allow access to information archives around the world. In the U.S. there are about 50 communities with functioning electronic networks and another 50 now in the process of creating their own networks. No two systems are exactly alike because networks can be built in many ways. Most community networks are built from a central computer.
Citizens connect to it with modems from their home or office computers.
The central computer routes email messages between users, duplicates and forwards messages for mailing lists, stores past newsgroups messages, and serves as a gateway to other computers across the nation. FreeNets and CityNet are two examples. In 1984, Tom Grundner started the St Silicon s Hospital medical bulletin board system. By 1986, this evolved into the first Cleveland FreeNet. Housed at Case Western Reserve hospital, the system consisted of a computer, bulletin board software, some modems, and a few phone lines.