We highlight some of the key findings in 2019 State of Broadband Report, published by the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, and share some thoughts on the state of broadband in the Caribbean region.<\/p>\n
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This past September, the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development<\/a> published its latest State of Broadband Report<\/a><\/strong>, through which the organisation provides an update on the extent to which countries worldwide have access to broadband Internet services, and the degree to which they are leveraging that connectivity. Over the last few years, the targets set by the Commission have been adjusted in order to be better aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, to which all countries aspire.<\/p>\n In this article, we will highlight the seven targets set by the Broadband Commission, along with its most recent findings for each of the targets, Thereafter, we will share some thoughts on how the Caribbean region has been performing with respect to each of the targets.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to the report, some progress has been made by countries in the establishment of broadband policies\u00e5, but only incrementally. The total number of countries with some semblance of a national broadband plan increased from 159 countries in 2018, to 164 in 2019. However, the Commission noted that some of those plans might be dated, and\/or are not being effectively implemented.<\/p>\n In the Caribbean region, although some countries have national ICT plans, they were prepared before the Internet became the force it currently it. Accordingly, they may not have specified broadband universality, or including broadband in the country\u2019s UAS definition. On the other hand, there are countries in the region that still have not yet adopted either a national broadband (or a national ICT) plan.<\/p>\n Although there is still time before 2025, the process to formulate a suitable policy will take some time, especially in order to ensure comprehensive consultation and wide stakeholder participation. More importantly, and in order for the policy to be implementable, it may need to be underpinned by legislation, which in turn, can be a protracted process. Hence, 2025 might not be that far away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Recently, the Commission lowered its previous affordability threshold target, from less than 5% to less than 2% of monthly gross national income per capita. The report thus notes that although affordability has improved significantly since the initial target in 2011, costs remain high in many countries.<\/p>\n Relative to the 2% of monthly income, that threshold is still a challenge in the Caribbean, as highlighted in our Snapshot: 2019 update on the affordability of Internet service in the Caribbean<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. In that article, which focussed on fixed broadband Internet connectivity, and the rate payable for the slowest Internet plans in each country, only three of the 20 countries examined met the 2% or less of the monthly gross income threshold.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to the 2019 report, and across the three metrics, the performance for this metric is well below the targets set. Current estimates for internet users is 3.9 billion people, or 51% of the total population, which is considerably below the 75% target. Internet user penetration was estimated at 45% in developing countries, well below the 65% target, and in LDCs, internet adoption was estimated at 20%, again below the 35% target.<\/p>\nAdvocacy Target 1 Making broadband policy universal: By 2025, all countries should have a funded National Broadband Plan or strategy or include broadband in their Universal Access and Service (UAS) Definition.<\/h3>\n
Advocacy Target 2 Making broadband affordable: By 2025, entry-level broadband services should be made affordable in developing countries at less than 2% of monthly gross national income (GNI) per capita<\/h3>\n
Advocacy Target 3 Getting people online: By 2025, Broadband-Internet user penetration should reach: a) 75% worldwide b) 65% in developing countries c) 35% in Least Developed Countries<\/h3>\n