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Open Dialogue of the OAS Telecommunication Commission Concludes that Countries of the Americas Must Work to Reduce the Digital Divide

The countries of the Americas should increase their efforts to reduce the digital divide that exists between them, and also within their territories, according to the conclusions of the Strategic Dialogue on Broadband and Internet Development in the region, which took place on Monday in Santo Domingo in the framework of the Sixth Regular Meeting of the Assembly of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) of the Organization of American States (OAS).

During the workshop, that took place on Monday and that was attended by more than 200 representatives of the public sector, private sector and academia, among others, four panels were held on public policies, regulation, innovation and adoption of technologies and how to strengthen the participation of multiple actors.

Among the main conclusions of the panels, which were presented by the Executive Director of the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (INDOTEL), Pedro José Gris, were the finding that the implementation of strategies for the development of broadband and Internet in Latin America is a mixed reality in the countries of the region. “Regional statistics show a great disparity between the different countries, revealing an effective reduction of the digital divide, but at the same time, a growing divide within countries,” he said.

Participants in the dialogue agreed that the parameters of universal service are not sufficient for the development of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). “It is not enough to encourage access, there must be a holistic approach that goes beyond connectivity,” the final document indicated, which also stated that “national public policies should be focused on medium and long term results that foresee all the components of the ecosystem: infrastructure, services, applications and users.”

Another of the conclusions dealt with the role that ICTs should play in development projects and those with an inclusive character. "All ICT strategies should provide for their use as a central axis of the national policy of the country, ensuring improvement in issues of national and international connectivity, the development of local capacity to increase domestic services and applications and that create an effective appropriation by the population once they use them, that foresees public-private partnerships and contains a comprehensive view of all elements of the ecosystem.”

Regarding the private sector, the seminar recognized its role as an engine of the economy, but said that while it works well in the allocation of resources, "it does not do so in their redistribution." In this regard, he said that the private sector "should serve as a partner of the state, engaging in major investment projects as well as working with the state to identify the necessary infrastructure to facilitate greater deployment of networks and infrastructure to enhance connectivity and achieving the transformation of industry and society.”

Regarding the role of the state, the conclusions highlighted that "it's destined to continue to be involved in regulation to improve social inclusion, coverage, quality of services and affordability of prices." In addition, the document indicated that the state is the entity that must act as a starting point and as a catalyst for the adoption of new technologies and the use of broadband. "First, the state is urged to encourage education and training in ICTs and secondly, it’s urged to develop and distribute electronic government services," agreed the participants, who pointed out that electronic government serves not only to create local content, but also to promote improvements in public services and innovation and creates the need for adoption of ICTs.

With regard to national strategies on the use of broadband, the panels emphasized the importance of countries having multisectoral approaches. "The private sector, civil society, the academy and the internet technical community are in ideal positions to advise the state on issues concerning the development of applications and services for broadband and internet," said the INDOTEL representative.

During the workshops, panelists emphasized the benefits of public-private partnerships, which strengthen telecommunications; and highlighted progress in areas such as mobile telephony, but recalled that access to other areas is lacking, such as broadband systems and the expansion of services.

The VI CITEL Assembly runs from today until Thursday, February 13, when it concludes with the approval of the new CITEL Strategic Plan for the 2014-2018 period.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-043/14