The Broadband Opportunity - The Time Is Now

The Broadband Opportunity - The Time Is Now

November 11, 2015

How can governments and countries change lives, increase prosperity and growth, and improve a wide range of essential services from education to healthcare? By connecting people to each other and to vital information and services, broadband can be an enabler and create opportunities that yield development benefits for all. This White Paper looks at ways in which governments can harness broadband as a catalyst for development.

There are undoubtedly challenges to extending the reach and potential of broadband, particularly to the most marginalized populations. But these challenges can be addressed by creating adequate overall policies and strategies – such as a broadband plan closely linked to development agendas – and establishing an environment that fosters private sector investment (with a competitive regulatory regime) and is facilitated by public-private partnerships that include leading organizations with expertise and know-how in these areas. This entails the involvement of stakeholders and citizens throughout the process to ensure both supply and demand are optimized, increasing the effectiveness of both public and private investment.