When I got my first broadband Internet connection my contract explicitly prohibited me from using NAT. Apparently my Internet provider was concerned I would use NAT to connect multiple computers thus “stealing” bandwidth. This concern was not completely unfounded since people sometimes would set up one connection and share it with neighboring apartments. Also having one computer per household was normal back then.

I live in an apartment block where each flat is likely spending £30-60 per month on broadband. Even accounting for the odd power user, I reckon we could get away with sharing a 1-2 Gbps connection and benefit from the collective cost savings. Legal accountability aside, I kinda like the idea of a neighbourhood network commune.

Circa 2003 when we got the first WiFi access point set up (with no password), we started noticing people with laptops appearing next to our homes. It took us a few seconds to realize they found a free WiFi and walked around to find a spot with better signal.