Universal Access to Broadband and Service Programs: A Comparative Study

Broadband is key to inclusive growth. It contributes substantially to social and economic development in the areas of job creation, business investment, and online services, among others. Several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have already initiated reforms of their telecommunications framework to advance broadband towards universal usage. On one hand, the universal access service (UAS) policies that are relatively solid in middle-income or emerging countries will attract significant financial resources to manage the high costs that relate to new infrastructure in rural areas. Depending on the country's topography, however, the possibilities for development may be limited and costly. On the other, UAS policies that are considered advanced or have been long established (and rely considerably on the private sector) will need to address the disbanding of old frameworks. The objective of this publication is to assist national authorities in the region as they bridge the gaps between their countries and those that have developed effective UAS policies.