The need for a digital agenda in Bolivia

AutorCamilo Córdova
Páginas133-135

Page 133

See note 52

In the run up to a presidential election, a civil society group is organizing itself to propose a digital agenda to the Bolivian candidates. The issue is becoming urgent as delays in creating a serious digital development plan will only increase the levels of social exclusion.

Page 134

Social exclusion is a process by which individuals or groups within a population are completely or partially excluded from fully participating in the society that they live in. Analyzing the Internet connections in Bolivia under this concept allows us to identify the following problems:

Economic exclusion. Only people who have suficient inancial resources can afford access to the Internet. Currently the price of a 1Mbps ADSL connection represents 18% (average cost of an ADSL connection 1mbps = $ 35) of the national minimum wage ($ 205) while in the rest of South America the fees do not exceed 7%.

Exclusion due to speed. Bolivia has one of the slowest Internet access speeds in the world. According to a UNDP report (2012), 70% of Internet connections in Bolivia have speeds below 0.512 Mbps, so it is no surprise that Bolivia often gets compared to Africa when it comes to Internet speeds.

Exclusion due to coverage. In Bolivia, only 3.33% of the municipalities have access to quality Internet via a DSL connection. Access is limited even in urban areas, such as the case of El Alto – La Paz, where ADSL coverage shows us that only 10 out of 650 areas have Internet access.

Moreover, Bolivia does not have an ICT strategy or digital agenda for development. Among the government programs of the candidates for the upcoming presidential elections in October this year, there are no structured public policy proposals based on the use of ICT, yet it is clear to see the need for development plans in order for them to be implemented.

Within the framework of such poor connectivity, and while the country inds itself in a period of elections, members of a citizen group called "More and Better Internet for Bolivia" are pushing for the creation of a digital agenda. How could this be interpreted? According to Ernesto Piedras:

They are a set of private, public, academic and social policies to promote economic development based on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). However, they are NOT about soley increasing the number of Internet users, nor the government acquiring new technology or creating ICT business incentives. Neither are they...

Para continuar a ler

PEÇA SUA AVALIAÇÃO

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT