Digital inequalities and policy interventions in Latin America after the outbreak of COVID-19

BERNADETTE CALIFANO; MARTÍN BECERRA

Liverpool

Conferencia; Digital Inclusion Policy and Research Conference; 2021

The aim of this paper is to analyze policyinterventions to address digital inequalities in five different Latin Americancountries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico) during the firstthree months after the outbreak of COVID-19 reached the region (March-June2020). The mentioned countries have been chosen fortwo main reasons. First, as they are the biggest in the region terms ofpopulation, economies and per capita gross product (ECLAC 2019). Second,because they have exhibited responses to all the variables proposed for theanalysis: a) access and continuity of connectivity services; b) traffic, dataconsumption and content; c) infrastructure, network management and radiospectrum; and d) compensations for telecommunications companies.The study draws on an analysis of the set ofregulations and specific policy-making actions introduced in the field ofconnectivity in the countries under review, as well as official documentsprepared by the public sector, particularly by the telecommunicationsministries and regulatory bodies in each country. It also draws on documentsfrom the private sector, and statistics on ICT access and usage in the region. The main argument is put forward that LatinAmerican governments responded quickly to the spike in demand for connectivityposed by the context of the pandemic, partly because they had learned from whathad happened in other latitudes, and partly because of the legacy of publicpolicies resulting from previous experiences in the sector. However, thedigital divides that persisted from previous structural inequalities lessenedthe impact of the actions implemented during the first months of the pandemic.Likewise, these actions revealed that inequalities tend to increase, as a digitallyunderserved segment of the population becomes deprived of access to education,health information, entertainment, and work-from-home services in their variousforms in this context.