Connecting the Next 1.5 Billion Needs Targeted Multi-Stakeholders Efforts

To spur more action to close this digital divide, the U.S. Government, led by the U.S State Department, launched the multi-stakeholder Global Connect Initiative in 2015 aiming to bring an additional 1.5 billion new Internet users online by 2020. The initiative has three inter-related goals: first, to encourage governments to make Internet access central to all development and growth initiatives. And second, to work in cooperation with multilateral development institutions to double public and private lending for connectivity and digital technologies. And finally, to harness the knowledge, skills and resources of the technical community to implement solutions for high-speed, affordable broadband access.

In doing this, we recognize that building Internet infrastructure is only one step towards digital inclusion. Creating a policy environment that sustains a healthy Internet by encouraging investment and innovation is critical for long term success. As with the rapid adoption of mobile technologies, the majority of investment will continue to come from the private sector. Targeted multi-stakeholder efforts, such as the Global Connect Initiative, can help to tackle barriers to access and unlock latent resources, accelerating the diffusion of the Internet’s benefits to those who currently remain unconnected.
[Novelli, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment, in the U.S. Department of State]