You can't build the kind of robustness that we enjoy today out of commodity hardware.
And that's not needed either. The purpose is communicating with each other in cases that the government brought down or is heavily filtering the internet (like happens in Egypt, Libia, etc), or in case of a disaster. It doesn't have to be as fast, or robust as the internet. 56k is plenty enough if you just want to send messages or small photos.
And in places no internet connectivity exists at all, it's better than nothing. We're just very, very spoiled.
Perhaps it's worth considering that if a new network is extremely slow compared to the present "expensive name brand hardware"-powered internet then it might not attract as much attention from the "streaming premium content" crowd. They might just leave it alone.
Who knows, by building such a network you might in the process prove that there's more value to an internet than simply as a new channel over which to sell branded entertainment and disseminate advertising. You might also show just how much can be done over a 56k link with a little creativity.
And that's not needed either. The purpose is communicating with each other in cases that the government brought down or is heavily filtering the internet (like happens in Egypt, Libia, etc), or in case of a disaster. It doesn't have to be as fast, or robust as the internet. 56k is plenty enough if you just want to send messages or small photos.
And in places no internet connectivity exists at all, it's better than nothing. We're just very, very spoiled.