(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) When Caribbean Community (CARICOM) senior officials responsible for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) met in Grenada last week Thursday and Friday, one of their priority agenda items was to discuss proposals for a regional broadband policy that would facilitate greater access to internet in the Region.

The case for the policy was premised on the recognition that Broadband is an imperative in advancing the CARICOM Single Market and achieving the seamless single economic space. Its development was mandated by the 36th Special Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) on ICT, in May 2011.

Vibrant discussions were triggered by the presentation made by Chief Knowledge Officer, Congress WBN, Mr. Bevil Wooding, who made a compelling case for increased Broadband access in the Caribbean Region. He acknowledged the need for an overarching regional policy but cautioned that there was a need for proactive country specific broadband plans, because each country was at differing stages of development.

CARICOM Secretariat’s Deputy Programme Manager, ICT4D, Jennifer Britton was optimistic that a regional policy would help to realize the ideals of the integration movement. In making a case for the policy, she enumerated several benefits of increased broadband access in the Caribbean. Those include a full employment economy, a decent standard of living, improved quality of life for all and “spatially equitable economic growth within the Community,” as reflected in the Girvan 2007 Report: Towards a Single Development Vision… More importantly, she added that affordable Broadband access would help to eliminate poverty and provide adequate opportunities for young people in the Region. Major opportunities are also possible for CARICOM businesses as long as there is enough investment in high-speed broadband access and support for innovation and research.

Britton’s claims have been fully substantiated by a cloud of evidence based on studies done by several organizations and countries, many of which speak to the job creation potential of broadband access: The World Economic Forum 2009 Report states that ‘ICT’s ability to deliver an economic growth dividend is motivating. For every dollar invested in broadband (fixed and wireless) the US economy is expected to see a tenfold return. Faster broadband deployment in Europe could create one million jobs and growth of up to €850 billion through 2015. Raising broadband penetration in emerging markets to levels currently in Western Europe could add $300 to $450 billion GDP and create 10 to 14 million new jobs.”

A World Bank Development Report touts Broadband as a key driver of economic growth, providing a boost of 1.38% in GDP in developing countries for every 10% increase in penetration.

The European Union, in a commissioned analysis, estimates that Broadband can create more than 2-million jobs in Europe by 2015 and an increase in GDP of at least EUR$636 billion. Another study conducted in Brazil reveals that Broadband contributed 1.4% of the employment growth rate annually and in China it has been noted that every 10% increase in Broadband penetration contributes an additional 2.5% to GDP growth.

However, a good ICT infrastructure is not only the outcome of economic growth, but is also an input to growth. It is this recognition that prompted the US to inject millions into Broadband infrastructure in order to stimulate economic growth during the global economic meltdown. The European Union followed suit last year with a proposed EUR$ 5 billion new investment in energy and Internet infrastructure, convinced that it would spawn economic recovery. Several other countries, including Canada, France, Japan and South Korea also invested from a low of $200 million to a high of $24.6 billion into upgrading Broadband access for more households by 2012.

Despite the compelling evidence however, the Caribbean lags behind with its investments in ICTs. According to the Officer in Charge of Trade and Economic Integration (TEI) in the CARICOM Secretariat, Desiree Field-Ridley, there is a continuous play of “catch-up,” in the Caribbean. Our internet penetration stands at a meagre 28.2% with just a little more than 11 million Internet users, 6-million of which are Face book users; and to date, only one country can boast a draft broadband plan.

The one-and-half-year-old United Nations-endorsed Broadband Commission for Digital Development has set four new ambitious, yet achievable targets for making Broadband policy universal, boosting affordability, connecting people and increasing internet access. These targets have been distilled into the following four objectives achievable by 2015:

All countries should have a national broadband plan or strategy or include broadband in their Universal Access / Service Definitions;

Entry-level broadband services should be made affordable in developing countries through adequate regulation and market forces (amounting to less than 5% of average monthly income);

Forty –percent of households in developing countries should have internet access Internet user penetration should reach 60% worldwide, 50% in developing countries and 15% in Lesser Developing Countries (LDCs).

For the Caribbean to realize these targets it must invest heavily in ICT and specifically increase its Broadband access. “While investments should come from both the private sector and Government, CARICOM must of necessity lead the way,” said Mr Wooding.

Forging Private public partnerships and partnerships with International Development Partners (IDPs) is an imperative for CARICOM to even consider increasing its Broadband access to 2.0 G/bits. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) at a recent CANTO-IDB Broadband Forum in Miami - to which CARICOM Ministers with responsibility for ICT attended - announced their intention to partner with the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunication Operators (CANTO) to provide Latin America and the Caribbean with technical and other assistance to accelerate Broadband development “as a critical technology for innovation and as a means to increase productivity, growth and social inclusion, in four main categories: policy, strategic regulation, infrastructure development and capacity building.”

CARICOM, of necessity, must not waiver in maximizing this opportunity. Its largest constituents – the youth, deemed the future of the Community - are looking outside the Community for the realization of their hopes, aspirations and economic empowerment. They want a better quality of life with quality services delivery and they want it NOW!

Therefore, the urgent need to expedite a regional Broadband policy cannot be over-emphasized. The Meeting of Senior Officials on ICT will therefore, recommend to the COTED, a policy framework which includes a 2.0Mg/bits per second as a minimum base-line speed to be considered as Broadband access; clear definitions for affordable access in keeping with the targets set by the Broadband Commission; a solid legislative environment and the development of national governance structure to treat with critical policy issues.

The officials agreed that high capacity broadband connections are essential elements in modern society. They acknowledged the urgent need to accelerate broadband deployment and adoption in the Region “to create knowledge based, smart, digital economies where all citizens have an equal opportunity to participate in the global economy and ultimately improve their quality of life.”

It is clear that without broadband infrastructure and services, developing countries risk exclusion from participating in the burgeoning global digital economy. High-speed internet broadband - whether via fibre networks or wireless - is a pre-condition for a strong digital economy in CARICOM.

CARICOM therefore, in building a future for its peoples, must make Broadband an imperative – an economic imperative. According to Wooding, “it is no longer a nice to have, but a must have.” The issue therefore cannot be the cost for adequate broadband access but the cost for not having it.

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