2019 Annual Spring Meeting of the Broadband Commission

Date

April 29, 2019

Location

Menlo Park, USA

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The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development held its annual spring meeting at the Facebook Headquarters on 28-29 April, 2019. This year’s theme, Shaping the Future of Broadband for Sustainable Development, allowed participants to delve into topics related to digital transformation and partnerships in a post 50-50 world. With more than half of the global population now online, we face the challenge of achieving universal connectivity, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to be connected and benefit from the digital economy. Connecting the remaining offline population will require different approaches than those used to bring the first 50% online.

Will it be business as usual, or will new approaches and partnerships be needed to boost investment and funding across the value chain? How can we strengthen secure and trusted use, skills development and digital inclusiveness, leveraging the latest technologies?

The spring meeting gathered high-level Commissioners and special guests from across a range of government and industry sectors. Several sessions took place during the two-day event, including an update on current working groups: Child Safety Online: Minimizing the Risk of Violence, Abuse and Exploitation Online and Broadband for All: A “Digital Infrastructure Moonshot” for Africa.

“[There is no] valid reason to constrain basic freedoms or limit access to broadband. We simply need the means to enforce our laws and hold individuals accountable for what they do online, just as we do offline."

“[There is a need for] a regulatory framework that encourages competition and innovation, generates investment and benefits consumers. It should have stable conditions to give confidence and certainty for investment. Penetration, connectivity and convergence should be promoted. The issues discussed by the Commission at this year's Spring meeting are crucial to shape the “Future of Broadband" in a way that it enhances the quality of life for everyone."

“Creating an attractive environment for investment in digital infrastructure must be one of our top priorities in order to achieve our goal of connecting the remaining half of the global population. Future networks like 5G and other emerging technologies are set to play a pivotal role in the digital economy. Our task is to ensure that they can benefit everyone, everywhere."

“Facebook was honoured to host the Broadband Commission and support its important work to connect the unconnected so they can safely use and benefit from the Internet."

Press Release- In Silicon Valley, UN Broadband Commission advocates for new innovative partnerships and business models to expand broadband networks for digital transformation