Integra is pleased to be involved in the management of The Broadband Partnership of the Americas (BPA), a program first proposed by President Barack Obama at the Sixth Annual Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia.
The BPA is designed to improve access to broadband and the Internet and other communications technologies in the Americas. It will serve as a voluntary and flexible framework through which the governments of the Western Hemisphere, multilateral organizations, the donor community and the private sector can collaborate to increase access to broadband and the Internet across the Americas.
While approximately 80 percent of the Latin America and Caribbean population has access to mobile phones, only 40 percent has Internet access, with levels in Central America and the Caribbean at approximately 30 percent. Broadband penetration is estimated to be 29 percent, falling just below the global average.
The images below indicate country level broadband penetration levels for Central and South America. Click on the image for a larger display.
Integra will provide technical assistance through the Global Broadband and Innovations Program, in support of the BPA, to help interested countries advance a range of information technology initiatives, including:
- developing and implementing national broadband strategies;
- creating or upgrading universal service funds to finance the expansion of mobile and broadband technologies to rural communities;
- improving international and regional connectivity by linking existing broadband networks;
- collaborating on a regional effort to harmonize the use of digital spectrum; and
- sharing best practices.
The BPA will pull together commitments from the US Department of State, USAID, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Telecommunications Information Agency (NTIA), the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), and the US Treasury.
