(CMC) — The Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), to coordinate efforts and promote joint activities with the goal of expanding meaningful and affordable Internet access through policy and regulatory reform.
The agreement was signed by CTU Secretary General Rodney Taylor, and A4AI”s Executive Director Sonia Jorge.
“During the pandemic, as more activities are being conducted online, many Caribbean citizens still lack the quality of Internet access needed to attend online school, work remotely or facilitate e-commerce services. The synergies established between both organisations will accelerate our steps towards achieving our goal to make Internet access more affordable,” Taylor said.
Jorge said cooperation is key to advance digital equality, and her organisation regards this important partnership as a critical step in that direction.
“We will work to challenge and support each other on the path to secure affordable and meaningful connectivity to everyone in the Caribbean, including women, rural, poor and marginalised populations. I ask you all to keep us accountable, so we can collectively work to secure affordable access to citizens in the Caribbean.”
A CTU statement said that the scope of this collaboration will include hosting presentations, seminars and hands-on workshops to support government officials to modernise their policy frameworks to achieve universal affordable and meaningful connectivity in the Caribbean region.
“This will assist them to design or upgrade national information communication and technology (ICT) policy and regulatory instruments and frameworks; and undertake joint research activities, including data collection, surveys, development of case studies, etc to increase research outputs and their usefulness for the Caribbean countries,” the statement said.
The CTU is an inter-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting and supporting the development of the Caribbean ICT sector for the socio-economic development of the region, while the
A4AI is a global coalition that brings together businesses, governments, and civil society actors from across the globe to deliver the policies needed to reduce the cost to connect and make universal, affordable Internet access a reality for all.
