Historically, the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure has focused on urban areas. An emphasis that has been expanding to suburban areas of Latin America thanks to the demographic and acquisitive growth of the inhabitants of these localities. The impact is clear, the poorest areas with fewer inhabitants are the most isolated in the region.
In this way, when in the great congresses of the world of information and communication technologies (ICT), the benefits and opportunities offered by digitization are discussed, the possibilities offered by this discourse are inapplicable in those localities where the population has more urgency to improve their quality of life.
Obviously, talking about this topic for many is to rain in the wet. It is to reiterate once again a situation widely known by governments and multilateral entities. The problem is not understanding the differences in connectivity, infrastructure availability and accessibility that exist in the market. Nor is it a question of finding opposition to the need to establish public policies aimed at correcting the existing shortcomings in the availability of ICTs and thus being able to guarantee digital equity to all citizens.
The underlying issue lies in the need to begin to expand the discourse of the digital divide, the lack of connectivity and the benefits of the new technological generations to mold it to the reality of each locality in Latin America and the Caribbean. Rather than pat ourselves on the back for the advances that have been made in the new normal, let us recognize that this new normal has been lived mainly by the highest and most educated economic quintiles in the region.
Those who are fortunate to have a robust high-speed Internet connection in their home, who have a suitable device to carry out their work and who have the specialized software that it requires. This without counting the necessary levels of bilingualism that are decisive in much of the jobs that depend on the productivity of a person in front of their computer.
In other words, in a region where, according to figures from the Global Data consultancy, more than 70% of mobile lines are paid under a prepaid scheme, it is very difficult for the majority of the population to have the necessary tools to adapt to this pedantic and exclusive appellation of “new normality”.
Words are powerful and to speak of a new normal is to silence that in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to figures from the Inter-American Development Bank, informal work represents on average around 58% of all jobs in this region, a figure that goes up to exceed 70% if only jobs in rural areas are considered. When we talk about connectivity initiatives, bridging the digital divide or ICT-driven economic growth, let’s do it across the board.
If we are going to refer to the impact of COVID-19, it is important to bear in mind that, each month under the pandemic is equivalent to one year of learning and awareness on the part of the population and public policy decision makers, as heard in talks by the Inter-American Development Bank. This positive message does not mean that together there is a not so pleasant reality or that the cost of this learning is quite onerous.
If we look at the world of work, during COVID-19 the levels of informality have increased, in part because of what the International Labor Organization tells us: the pandemic has caused the loss of 26 million jobs in Latin America and Caribbean. Those who have been able to integrate into telework are a lucky few, often pioneers, so we must find ways to slow down or lessen the impact that a new national paralysis may have on the income of Latin American households in the future.
The lack of action by some governments to lessen the impact of the pandemic has served to exacerbate the situation of the inhabitants of the most vulnerable areas. The Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) had already indicated that during 2020 poverty in Latin America increased to reach 33.7% of the population. Without measures to cushion the impact of the pandemic, ECLAC indicates that the regional poverty rate would have reached 37.2%. Unfortunately, according to their estimates, doing nothing to cushion the economic impact of COVID-19 meant an increase in poverty during 2020 from 52.3% to 58.6% in Honduras, 41.5% to 50.6% in Mexico, and from 46.3% to 50.7% in Nicaragua.
If we focus on education during times of COVID-19 we see that around 120 million Latin American children, according to World Bank figures, had lost or were about to miss a school year. This in one of the regions of the world with the largest number of countries bragging about combating the digital divide by giving away tablets, laptops and even digital televisions.
It is clear that those who would be benefiting the most from the positive impact of ICTs on the gross domestic product (GDP) of their countries are those that have been most affected by the pandemic. What good is it that studies from Columbia University, the GSMA or the London Business School estimate GDP growth that ranges from 0.7% to 3.6% per year for every ten percentage points of adoption by part of the population of new technologies such as high speed broadband, if there are no projects to make this potential increase in the economy a reality?
As the World Bank warns, for this to happen, “causality” is necessary, or to put it more simply: projects and initiatives that will take advantage of the growth in adoption of new technologies to improve people’s quality of life.
You have to sow to be able to reap. A harvest that would include, among other things, telecommuting, telemedicine, tele-education and e-government solutions that one can imagine. In the same way, the lack of action by governments to mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19 has resulted in the growth of poverty and extreme poverty in much of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The challenges are much deeper, self-criticism and confession of sins are not enough. As well as when talking about digital transformation, emphasis is placed on the transversality of this type of strategies at the government or corporate level. The goal is to ensure the exchange of information, communication between the various public entities or the different divisions of a company. The solutions also have to be cross-cutting simply because the problems are cross-cutting.
Addressing the digital divide, connecting the unconnected, materializing in the real world the aspirations of the speakers of telecommunications congresses requires a transversal approach that meets all the needs of the citizen. From their right to a home, to food and to a job, to education and fair treatment from the authorities.
Without a holistic approach that understands poverty as the great brake on ICT, we will continue to hold telecommunications events talking about the never-never land where all children are happy because they trust the defeat of Captain Hook. What if one day Peter Pan does not appear?
Just as coverage is not the solution, you have to think about accessibility, maintenance, logistics, education and dozens of other variables when talking about the many digital gaps, it is also extremely important to remember that, although it is positive that legally they are considered ICT as essential elements for citizenship, whether as a public service or a human right, ink on paper has to be accompanied by concrete actions that consider and are aware of the cost structure of the different components of ICT.
Even one of the most important documents of humanity in the field of human rights, the “International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights” recognizes the importance of economic resources when reducing poverty and promoting initiatives that seek to offer the population the resources necessary for citizens to have access, among other things, to housing, education and adequate food.
Anyone who doubts it should review the first paragraph of the second article of this document, which reads: “Each of the States Parties to this Pact undertakes to adopt measures, both separately and through international assistance and cooperation, especially economic and techniques, to the maximum of the available resources, to progressively achieve, by all appropriate means, including in particular the adoption of legislative measures, the full effectiveness of the rights recognized herein.
Nobody has the financial capital to end all inequalities in society. For this reason, promoting the development of ICTs in rural, remote and population areas with low purchasing power does not simply happen by expanding coverage. The coverage is only one component of the solution, thinking that it is a panacea is simply a mistake. Plans must be drawn up where the gestation of hospitals, schools, security entities, municipalities and any other public entity that offers services to the citizen will be digitized over the years. Yes, years because this is a problem that will take decades to resolve and we will only be able to approach a solution if all the actors in a country are part of it: the public sector, the private sector, academia and civil society.
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx