In his morning conference yesterday, Monday, May 2, at the express question of a reporter about the progress of the Internet for All project, the president expressed a series of considerations. The fact that he has recognized that they are having a hard time fulfilling the commitment to bring connectivity to the entire territory stands out. Those of us who are familiar with the characteristics of telecommunications networks and their economic aspects warned from the outset that this commitment was simply unfeasible and irrational.
After acknowledging that they are having a hard time fulfilling that commitment, the president dedicated himself to elaborating a series of explanations for the reason for the delay, which, more than really providing a logical explanation, reflect the limitations of his administration in understanding the size of the challenge and, even worse, the state of technology in telecommunications, and as a consequence of the combination of both aspects, the ignorance about the policy instruments that could have contributed to bringing broadband to many areas that today do not have that access, at the lowest possible cost subject to the state of technology.
The following comment by the president clearly illustrates the confusion and limitations of his administration on the subject: “We are having a hard time fulfilling this commitment because there are not many technological advances in the world to seek connectivity, especially in remote areas. .Although it may seem incredible, there are no satellites to achieve this communication over the internet, there is still no technological development that allows satellites to illuminate the entire national territory and provide communication over the internet”.
In the first place, there are technological developments that allow Internet signals to be provided with satellite technology over the national territory. Currently there are providers of this service in the United States and Canada, for example. In fact, at least a couple of providers that provide the service in those countries also offer it in Mexico. So the claim that there is no technology to bring the Internet to remote communities via satellite is false.
On the other hand, he spoke about the project that is supposed to be the central project of his government in terms of telecommunications and the Internet, I am referring to CFE Telecomunicaciones e Internet para Todos, regarding which he commented that he has a budget, that it is not a problem of lack of financial resources and reiterated that it is a technological problem. Unfortunately, as time has passed, we have been able to realize that they simply never understood what the root of the problem was and therefore, that they have not been able to clearly define what the precise mandate for that public company is. They talk about bringing “Internet for All” to areas where there is no service today, but in their few communications and presentations, the officials of this company limit themselves to talking about enabling free Internet access points. In 2020 they stated that the goal for 2025 was to install 200 thousand of these points, whatever that means.
The point is that to this day, they still do not clearly report what they have done with the almost 6,400 million pesos that the Chamber of Deputies has approved for this company for the years 2020 to 2022. More than three years after advanced the administration of President López Obrador continues without giving foot with ball. There is not a single report on its website about progress in its ambiguous goals, nor about the use of the budget, so there is no transparency. The president’s other bet is the shared network operated by Altán, which unfortunately ran aground in 2021. The summary is that in terms of connectivity, there is no serious plan, they do not know where they stand, much less where they want to go. It is one more example of the limitations and ineptitude that characterize the current administration to meet the challenges with the best solutions.
@GerardoFloresR
telecommunications expert
Economic Momentum