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OAS Assembly Telecommunications Concludes with an Appeal to Countries in the Region to Incorporate Sectors with Fewer Resources to Digital Revolution

The Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) of the Organization of American States (OAS) concluded Thursday its Sixth Assembly in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with a call to strengthen cooperation on the formulation of strategies for the development and deployment of broadband, in order to improve connectivity and social, economic and cultural development of the countries of the Hemisphere.

The VI CITEL Assembly adopted the Declaration of Santo Domingo after meeting for three days in the capital of the Caribbean country. The Declaration urges special attention to disadvantaged populations in the region so that they can access the benefits of the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The 34 member countries agreed to "devote special attention to the most disadvantaged, remote, and/or hard-to-access populations, persons with disabilities, older adults, women, children, indigenous peoples, with the aim of digital inclusion, and ensuring that telecommunications/ICTs facilitate their development.”

Furthermore, the Declaration of Santo Domingo agreed that countries in the region should encourage broadband access “in order to reduce the technological gap between societies of the Hemisphere, and within them, placing special emphasis on the reduction of costs of international Internet connectivity for landlocked developing countries and small developing island states.”

The Declaration also calls on member states to “foster and strengthen regulatory frameworks that promote competition, investment, innovation, users’ rights, and public-private partnerships.” It also urges them to "identify measures to promote the affordability of international roaming services, focusing especially on the realities and needs of border areas."

Moreover, the VI CITEL Assembly expressed concern with some of the hazards of that have resulted from new technologies in calling for the promotion of “more effective ways to support regional cooperation to enhance cybersecurity and to protect children on the internet.”

The OAS member countries also agreed to encourage the development of strategies for the recognition of the telecommunications infrastructure that allows them to successfully deal with “the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, rescue and relief efforts, and reconstruction.”

The Declaration also calls for promoting the interconnection of international networks through exchange points of national and regional traffic to improve quality, increase the connectivity and resilience of networks, promoting competition and reducing the costs of international connections. The approved document also urges states to "promote the creation of local content that facilitates growing use of broadband access, promoting cultural exchange and the digital inclusion of all peoples.”

The meeting brought together more than 200 representatives from the public sector, private sector and academia in Santo Domingo. As a prelude to the Assembly on Monday 10, a Strategic Dialogue was held that included four discussion panels on public policies, regulations, innovation and adoption of technologies, and strengthening the participation of multiple actors.

The VI Assembly decided that the Dominican Republic and Argentina will occupy the Chair and Vice Chair of CITEL until 2018, when the body reconvenes in Argentina. Furthermore, the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan was approved.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-049/14