With freenets, a multiuser computer is established at a central location and connected to the telephone system through a series of modems. Running on the machine is a computer program that provides users with everything from email services to information about health care, education, technology, government, recreation, or whatever else the host operators want to place on the machine.
Users interact by leaving postings or by sending email to one another.
While some freenets are connected to the Internet, many are not and operate on a strictly local basis. Anyone in the community with access to a home, office, or school computer and a modem can dial in 24 hours a day. The key to the success of a freenet system is that the system is literally run by a community. Almost everything that appears on these machines is there because individuals or organizations in the community are prepared to contribute their time, effort, and expertise to place it there and maintain it over time. This volunteerism, coupled with the rapidly dropping costs of computing power and the use of inexpensive transmission technology, makes public access computing an economically viable, popular, and important addition to any community.