(Expansion) – Last year, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) something unattainable: “in 2021 there will be 100% connectivity for the entire national territory”; We are already in the middle of 2021 and I do not see clearly.
Digital access evolved to the point where, if a person and / or company does not connect, it does not exist. Digital access in Mexico is on the ground, 27% of Mexicans do not exist. But what is digital access? It is the total capacity of the inhabitants of a country to access information and communication technologies (ICT), that is, it is the opposite of the digital divide.
Digital access can be used as a tool to significantly increase the inclusion of underrepresented groups, that is, to bridge the gap mainly within the world of work and education. When we talk about the digital divide we refer to the inequality that exists between people, companies or certain geographical areas in terms of access to ICT.
In 2016 the United Nations (UN) established that the Internet, digital access, is a basic right of all human beings; however, many Mexicans cannot access the benefits of connectivity.
Digital access in Mexico, unattainable promise
In Mexico there is no equality in digital access. I see three main challenges: the first, to provide equal access to opportunities. Second, in many parts of the country, the basic digital infrastructure does not yet exist. Third, where it exists, affordability remains a relevant issue. Once this has been achieved, it would be necessary to teach, from the schools, the technological skills that are required in the 21st century, to students and especially teachers. Having access to a social network and liking it is not enough.
That unattainable promise of López Obrador of total connectivity by 2021 was to be achieved through a project called “” that aims to provide telecommunications services, free of charge, to guarantee the right of access to ICTs, including broadband. and Internet. Not even the most developed countries have 100% coverage.
According to a survey conducted by Hootsuite and WeAreSocial in 2020, the ranking of countries with the highest internet penetration was led by the United Arab Emirates with 99% penetration, followed by Denmark (98%), South Korea (96%), Sweden ( 96%), Switzerland (96%), United Kingdom (96%) and Netherlands (95%) – Mexico (69%).
In Mexico, it is important to demand that the government develop the digital infrastructure that helps provide connectivity in areas where there is no access, in addition to including public policies that promote connectivity in schools, both public and private, inclusive centers, develop platforms to support those with little access to new technologies, such as the elderly and indigenous populations, and grant connectivity subsidies. Did you know that a basic monthly internet plan costs at least two minimum wages?
Equal access to the same opportunities
How can we think that there will be equality in digital access if there is no equal opportunity? Equal opportunities are achieved by giving each person, regardless of their sex, beliefs and place where they are, the same opportunities to access the resources and benefits provided by public policies. The benefit they get from it is something else. In Mexico this does not happen.
Mexico continues to be a country of opportunities, where when one generation does not have them, the next is the one that suffers from it. Sadly, income inequality in one generation generates inequality of opportunity in the next.
In Mexico, according to the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL), a public body that measures poverty in the country, last year (2020) it calculated that there are 70.9 million poor people in Mexico, 56.7% of the population. It sounds overwhelming, but that’s not all. There are 31.7 million Mexicans in extreme poverty, 25.3% of the population. Yes, there are different types of poverty.
The latter means that one in four Mexicans lives in conditions below the minimum welfare line. How can we think that a person can have digital access if they cannot even cover their basic needs?
The outlook is not encouraging, we have to focus our efforts on what really matters. Do we really need a new ballpark? What are the priorities? Perhaps when all Mexicans have their basic needs covered, we can talk about equality in digital access.
I am not surprised by AMLO’s comment that from the undergraduate level up they are the ones who most support the campaigns against him. Go out to vote.
Editor’s Note: Ana Peña is Communications Director for Intel Americas. Follow her on. The opinions published in this column belong exclusively to the author.
