Access Now documented 296 internet shutdowns across 54 countries in 2024. Encryption protects the message but not the wire it travels on, and governments that cannot read your traffic can still ensure you never send it. Mesh networking inverts this vulnerability by making every device both an endpoint and a relay, operating on unlicensed spectrum with no towers and no permission required. The economics of mesh convert communication infrastructure from a centralized public utility into a club good where each participant's contribution directly improves their own service. A $30 radio in a window is the minimum viable defense against a shutdown playbook that assumes the government controls the infrastructure.