The 2017 Affordability Report has been released with
indication that billions shut out
of internet access by government inactions, reports ITRealms.
The report released by Alliance for Affordable
Internet (A4AI) tracks policy progress toward affordable internet across 58
low- and middle-income countries.
According to the Communications Manager, A4AI, Lauran
Potter the report found out that governments are failing their citizens when it
comes to providing affordable internet access.
“Just 19 countries surveyed have "affordable"
internet access,” she said, stressing that policies have barely changed since this
research series started in 2014.
They observed that nearly half the countries
surveyed have badly outdated or non-existent plans to guide broadband
development, whereas public funds to expand access to the disconnected, if they
exist, are sitting dormant in over a third of countries.
ITRealms reports that Nigeria, for instance, ranks
13th out of 58 on this year's Affordability Drivers Index, which measures the
policies in place to enable affordable access.
Last year's report, ITRealms recalls, showed a miss
on the global target of universal, affordable access by over 20 years.
This year's report further confirmed that government
inaction has remained a threat to entrench the digital divide and worsen global
inequality.
A4AI, therefore, called on leaders to take urgent
action to reverse this course and enable access for the over 4 billion offline as
at the time of releasing the report.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
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