Establishment
The Occupational and Communication Engineers Association, or OCEA, was established in Kindol, Furthing on 4 February 1238, led by the original founders: Perry Lovelston from Furthing, Karl Venn from Vasilca, Marie Quinne from Lesterre, Frederick Duhn from Gamroa, and Joseph Green from Yecourt. Upon establishment, OCEA set out to construct a convenient messaging and publishing platform for individuals across the Circlarian Realm.
Structure
The typical network structure of an OCEA network consists of a hub, which holds data in a special dymensional plane and remotely communicates said data to a network of repeaters. Repeaters are essentially exact copies of the hub with the exception that data can only be created or deleted on a hub. However, any changes made to data in a repeater are reflected in the hub as well as all other repeaters. Data from hubs and repeaters is remotely communicated to various types of receivers including handheld and desktop consoles. Meanwhile, every network consists of one-on-one digital messaging channels between individual users, who register with account numbers and passwords, as well as Bulletins where said individuals can publish digital posts visible to those other individuals with which the former mutually consented to a friend connection.
The Beginning
Communication between individuals living in Lesterre and individuals living in Furthing had gotten more difficult in the years following the First Continental War due to the complications of a new international border. Alongside this was a growing movement against news-journal publishing platforms being overly selective over which individual articles, expressions of opinion, to publish. This latter issue triggered a democratic movement in South Canticula.
The establishment of OCEA, with the introduction of its aforementioned one-on-one digital messaging channels as well as a Bulletin, resolved these two issues, as Furthing, Vasilca, Lesterre, Gamroa, and Yecourt, each established a taxpayer-funded OCEA network which connected with the other four networks. Each hub would be led by a team of five Lead Administrators appointed by the government. As the years went on, other nations would join in similar fashion, while larger nations would establish multiple hubs, each in a given Province or similar type of district, or follow another type of hierarchy altogether. For example, upon joining in 1301, the Retunian Republic would establish a hub in every county, each headed by a team of five Lead Administrators, while its federal government appointed five Heads of Department to oversee all of the county networks and administer regulations as needed.
Each OCEA network would send a certain number of International Leads to OCEA Headquarters in Kindol to cast votes whenever any global decision needed to be reached. It is important to note that there were no standards on the number of said Leads that an OCEA network was either required to send or limited to send, nor were there guidelines on regular meeting schedules or number of Leads required to be present in order for a vote to occur. This would lead to issues in the years to come.
In any case, OCEA, in its early years, catered initially to those of the upper middle class, a demographic regarded as the most socially isolated. Thus, in its early years, OCEA networks did not gain widespread popularity but rather existed only within certain social niches.
The Expansion Era: 1238 to 1305
The standing OCEA hub networks were joined by the nations of Tymol and Tennur in 1240, Rewen and Paolina in 1245, the Chokian Province of Ghues in 1250, the Chokian Provinces of Teltio and Migram in 1255, and the Vasilcan District of Ornbo in 1260. The year 1265 saw the inclusion of the Chokian Provinces of Hoht, Semerrer, and Chok.
In the summer of 1267, the Lykian Republic invaded and placed under its occupation all of South Canticula as well as the Peninsula nations South of Furthing. In time, OCEA managed to hide its networks in those regions and so were never discovered by the Lykian forces. Thus, an underground operation ensued. Furthermore, OCEA networks, in 1275, in all of the Provinces of the now-occupied Chokian Republic as well as the remainder of the nation of Vasilca. In 1281, OCEA expanded to include all ten of the Midland River States as well as the nation of Remstruhs and the overseas nation of Tandeiyah. OCEA was then joined by Nogliespe, Notulfa, and the Acrean Republic in 1282. This was followed by the Lotemn District of Atkie, the Humerian Kingdom in 1283, and Munnicale in 1284. Rellihan, Sarsota, and Umcings joined in 1285.
The Lykian Republic invaded North Canticula in 1287, thus beginning the Second Continental War. However, it was thanks to the underground OCEA networks that resistance forces were able to communicate with one another and were therefore able to carry out counter-agendas that not only derailed the invasion, but also toppled the Lykian regime altogether. As the Lykians were facing inevitable defeat in 1294, OCEA was able to establish networks in all of the former Red Desert Federation Provinces as well as the Five Coastal States North of Prove. Meanwhile, in 1297, Locin became the first Remikran nation to join OCEA. This was followed by the Kingdom of the Great North and the re-established Republic of Prove in 1298. The Retunian Republic established its OCEA network in 1301. And finally in 1305, the Rinean Kingdom established its OCEA network.
The Neutrality Era: 1305 to 1359
By 1312, OCEA networks were established in all of Northeast Ancondria with exception to the Havenlands region.
Controversy arose in 1313 when the Retunian lightfire company West Horizon, having invested itself in the emerging Great Ancondrian War, began circulating advertisements and propaganda over OCEA Bulletins. This prompted backlash from OCEA Administrators who carried a class action lawsuit against the company. Said dispute was heard under Congress of Circlaria Arbitration in 1314, during which the Arbitration ruled that no company was to impose such advertisements on any Bulletin without the consent of all users. Thus, neutrality across all OCEA networks was preserved for the time.
The period between 1320 and 1359 was generally regarded as a golden one for the OCEA networks, not only because of the neutrality protections but also because of the growing number of people able to use it for their benefit. International communication became commonplace among those considered common people as online social networks emerged and expressions became easier to published. More and more people, including business figures, celebrities, and politicians, joined with individual OCEA accounts during this time. And OCEA played an important role in helping the Realist Party in the Retunian Commonwealth to win elections in the 1320s and 1330s, as the said party promised to rectify some of the causes of political instability happening there at the time.
Cabotton University established an OCEA remote learning platform in 1346, a curriculum that would inspire a call for the University to expand its Waltmann School programs.
The Transition Era: 1359 to 1371
Between 1359 and 1362, the existence of the Independent Commonwealth State of Retun was placed in jeopardy as the Ancondrian-based Esurchian State set out to infiltrate every aspect of the Commonwealth government and economy. However, "cloaked accounts" on the OCEA platforms help to facilitate an underground movement that succeeded in driving out the Esurchians. Later on, during the Esurchian War in 1366, the Esurchian State attempted to infiltrate Retunian OCEA networks with its own network, but such an agenda proved unsuccessful. The Commonwealth government, in response, intervened and blocked Esurchian infiltration efforts.
In spite of international unrest, OCEA established its first hub network on Planet Nephina in 1369.
The Post-Neutrality Era: 1372 to 1465
By 1371, the Great Ancondrian War had been raging in the Ancondrian River Basin for over fifty years. That year, a democratic insurgent group arose and overthrew the authoritarian government of the Ancondrian State of Qorynth, establishing an OCEA network in the process. The Qorynth state government, in response, attempted to shut down some of the repeaters of this new network, but failed to outpace the efforts of the resistance.
After the successful overthrow, the resistance was determined to make an example of the old Qorynth government. In the months that followed, they banded together with the former Esurchian State, the newly-established United Confederation of Ancondria, the Independent Democratic State of Ramport, the Kingdom of Gyrosak, and the Republic of Lesterre, and carried a class action lawsuit to Congress of Circlaria on the subject of too much government interference. This suit was opposed by the Retunian Commonwealth, Edoran Regiondom, and Furthing, while other nations remained neutral. Congress of Circlaria sent an Arbitrator Board accordingly to overhear an OCEA Headquarters Conference in Kindol in October 1373. The Commonwealth sent over 400 International Leads to create diplomatic pressure for the Arbitrators to rule in their favor, while the other side determined to outnumber them. That month, the Arbitrators delivered a stunning verdict stating that not only did certain groups have a right to establish their own OCEA networks, but that no government had any right to establish or administer the same, though they had a right to establish organizational accounts. This instituted a fundamental change to OCEA as up to this point, since 1238, all OCEA networks had been built and administered by their respective governments and funded by taxpayer credits. Congress of Circlaria specified that this practice would be abolished and ruled that all OCEA networks were, going forward, to exist as organizations independent of any form of government. They specifically mandated a transition policy for the Retunian Commonwealth to facilitate its OCEA networks to have organizational elections, per the Retunian Constitution, in the year 1375. Furthermore, while mandating that every OCEA network was to facilitate connections with the other networks, Congress of Circlaria ruled that every network was allowed to otherwise set its own rules and standards.
Some hub networks, including some in the Retunian Commonwealth, were rather lax on their rules regarding blocking and infiltration, providing an opportunity for capitalist corporate advertising, which began to run rampant in the late 1370s. In the 1380s, right-wing political groups throughout the Circlarian Realm began spreading misinformation. In response, incumbent Retunian Prime Minister Meghan Wen, in order to protect Commonwealth citizens, authorized in 1385 for the federally-funded National Institute of Research and Development to establish an OCEA account dedicated to providing fact-checker information against anything deemed misleading.
Congress of Circlaria held its 48-year elections in 1391, a year that yielded a majority favoring interests of the Circlarian far-right. Such an influence even impacted the Retunian Commonwealth, as James Lawrence Kontacet, having become Prime Minister in 1399, defunded the National Institute fact-checker OCEA platform. The next Prime Minister, Vet Silonk, would re-instate funding for that platform in 1410, in line with the passage of the Ninth Amendment. The next Prime Minister, Stanley Arland Moore, boosted funding for this fact-checker account, but such a system, a couple decades later, would have to contend with a new threat of infiltration: The Syndicate.
Reports emerged, beginning in the year 1390, of a mysterious source, present among the OCEA networks, spreading misleading information among the Circlarian masses; in fact, this was what led to the far-right results of the 1391 Congress of Circlaria elections. Similar misinformation, some of which deemed harmful in nature, began circulating across OCEA networks during the Great Pandemic of the 1330s. And in the 1440s, reports emerged in the Retunian Commonwealth of misinformation being spread about economic and trade opportunities. In that same decade, the OCEA platform on Planet Nephina for Library of Circlaria was derailed by an apparent data infusion attack.
In 1463, an independent investigator named Voi Phlan discovered the source behind the misinformation and data attacks to be an organization known as The Syndicate, founded in the year 1384 and located on Planet Nephina. Membership in The Syndicate consisted of a collection of anonymous Administrators, possibly representing Circlarian corporations and far-right organizations. It is important to note, however, that the truth in the latter information remains inconclusive to this day. Regardless, what is known is that all members of The Syndicate believe that Circlarian governments "serving as welfare states" are inherently corrupt, and that the "natural order of humanity" is survivable only for the smartest and fittest of the human race." The Syndicate since its establishment has sought to implement such beliefs by infiltrating political processes and economic markets back in Circlaria.
The last known contact from Voi Phlan was in the year 1464. However, in 1465, incumbent Commonwealth Prime Minister Cara Mackwell took Voi Phlan's reports into account and led a petition consisting of twenty-six representatives. Such a body of representatives included those from various Circlarian governments as well as those from OCEA Administrations. And the agenda of said petition was to have Congress of Circlaria take action against The Syndicate. However, in a shocking verdict, the Arbitration of Congress of Circlaria that year sided with The Syndicate, itself, stating that they served as a moral check against "overreaching government power" and banning any political entity from taking action against them. Circlarian nations responded to this by funding more fact-checker accounts with the hope of keeping enough of the Circlarian masses informed regarding the truth.
The Infiltration Era: 1465 to Present
The Syndicate continues to this day to pose a concern. Presently, they seem to favor a tactic where they will target a certain faction within a national or political entity and stoke fear or anger within said faction toward an opposing faction. Such a tactic involves primarily liberals versus conservatives in a particular nation. The Syndicate will do so by posing as a different organization for each side and asking its body of users for monetary donations to stop the apparent agenda of the other side. The Syndicate has been gaining billions of credits each year from this tactic, a notion repeatedly made public. However, many Circlarians, despite being aware of the scam, feel strongly compelled to take part in order to gain a sense of being in control of the given situation. Experts have been citing this trend as they publicly speculate The Syndicate's possible involvement of oathcrafting.
Of further concern is the Congress of Circlaria who, as a result of the 48-year election of 1487, is set to be dominated yet again by the political right. Numerous members of the new Congress have voiced a consideration to impose an international ban on established OCEA networks from setting rules of their own to block infiltration by The Syndicate. This of course has been cause for concern among experts and government leaders alike. However, there have also existed hub-and-repeater networks independent of OCEA, known as "independent networks."
"Independent networks" are just that: independently-owned. They have been around since the early 1400s, and have served to help certain groups bypass the issues involved in the established OCEA networks. Far-right groups used them as "virtual private networks" when overthrowing the democratic government of the United Confederation of Ancondria in 1475; however, opposition forces have since used them to their advantage as well.
Regardless, speculation stands that these networks may render OCEA obsolete in the coming years and decades.