Hi Dimi,
This is really exciting, and +1 to the other ideas.
We think the issue of internet shutdowns is a growing and worrying concern. At Access, we're rolling out a project to track and respond to shutdowns. This particularly impacts Wikipedia users -- with a simple order from the government (and compliance by telcos), people are cut off from Wikipedia, not to mention emergency services and the resources the internet provides. Human rights violations often accompany shutdowns.
We'd be happy to present on our findings and what we believe are sustainable solutions to this problem.