Broadband Commission declares ‘broadband inclusion for all’

The international Broadband Commission for Digital Development has recommended that world leaders agree to "broadband inclusion for all." The Broadband Commission—a joint project of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)—delivered its final outcome report on Sept. 19 to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York. The commission report issued a declaration for “Broadband Inclusion for All” and called on world leaders to ensue that more than half of all the world’s people have access to broadband networks by 2015. The report stresses the need for leaders to focus on building a “virtuous broadband development dynamic” and notes that broadband has the power to “cut a swathe through the silos associated with health, education, energy, transport, the environment and other key sectors," a release said. ITU Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun Touré said in a release that, in the 21st century, affordable, ubiquitous broadband networks will be as critical to social and economic prosperity as transport, water and power networks. Touré challenged global leaders to make access to high-speed networks "a basic civil right," a release said. The commission presented the report to Secretary General Ban during a side-event held in conjunction with a world leaders’ summit on the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which began Monday at the UN headquarters in New York. “The Commission’s report is an important contribution to our efforts to ensure that the benefits of information and communication technology can further the United Nations goals of peace, security or development for all,” Ban said in a statement. The report also warned that states that fail to embrace “broadband inclusion for all” will face significant disparities in broadband affordability—defined as the cost of access relative to average national monthly incomes. It said that subscribers in developed countries like the U.K., U.S., Canada and Australia pay less than one per cent of the average national monthly income for a fast broadband connection, but in least-developed countries like Ethiopia, Malawi or Niger, a relatively slow broadband connection costs many times more than an average monthly salary. The report urges governments not to limit market entry or tax broadband services “too heavily” and to ensure “ample availability of spectrum to support mobile broadband growth.”

Broadband Commission declares ‘broadband inclusion for all’

Brief | September 20, 2010

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Broadband Commission declares ‘broadband inclusion for all’

Brief | September 20, 2010

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