On August 4 and 5, we met at the Casa de Internet for Latin America and the Caribbean with the Working Group on Meaningful Connectivity of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to advance a shared goal: to establish indicators that will allow us to accurately measure meaningful connectivity in the countries of the region. This multisectoral collaboration brought together representatives from governments, business associations, civil society, and the technical community with the aim of defining parameters that reflect meaningful connectivity to the Internet.
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Meaningful connectivity goes beyond the mere availability of an Internet connection. It refers to access that is reliable, affordable, suitable for the user’s needs, and that enables active and safe participation in the digital environment. This concept, promoted by organizations such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), includes factors such as connection speed, latency, relative affordability, the availability of appropriate devices, digital literacy, and online security and privacy.
At the meeting, the Internet technical community was represented by LACNIC, ICANN, and the Internet Society. Our contribution focused on presenting the technical factors that support the achievement of meaningful connectivity: standards such as IPv6 and RPKI, the deployment of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), Universal Acceptance (ensuring domain names can be written in all languages), among others.
The meeting also addressed the challenges faced by the region, where national averages often hide significant disparities between urban and rural areas and across different socioeconomic groups. Defining these indicators will be essential for guiding inclusive public policies that promote the closing of existing digital gaps and foster sustainable development.
At LACNIC, we reaffirm our commitment to collaborate with ECLAC and all involved stakeholders in promoting an approach based on robust data and technical evidence, enabling the monitoring of progress towards an Internet that is truly meaningful for all people in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The views expressed by the authors of this blog are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LACNIC.
