Thank you, a wireless mesh network seems to be the broad name of what I had in mind. You seem to hint at the fact that they are illegal? Or do you mean they are heavily regulated? If it's the case it'd strange as any online private community could be considered a wireless mesh network. Maybe that's the case but there are too many...
In the US, HAM licensing (a) had heavy bandwidth restrictions and (b) banned encryption. Leaving the choice instead of trying to range-extend WiFi without breaking the power restrictions, such as by using directional antennae.
Generally the problem with mesh networks is spectrum licensing.
(a badly functioning mesh network is indistinguishable from a distributed jammer in its band!)
As for the TLAs .. I don't know about that, but the history of radio licensing and telecoms is entangled with national security, because allowing enemy agents free comms into your country was considered Very Bad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_networking
People have tried, but they’re hard — and TLAs tend to show up. (At least from stories I heard; before my time.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Wireless
But they’re doing a crypto one too — maybe that’ll work better.
https://www.helium.com/
There’s also a HAM radio option.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMPRNet