This joint initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the OECD seeks to encourage the expansion of broadband networks and services in the region, supporting a coherent and cross-sectorial approach, to maximise their benefits for economic and social development. Drawing on a wealth of experience from LAC and OECD countries, the Toolkit outlines the main policy objectives in this area and provides guidance for their measurement, an overview of developments in the region, and a compilation of good practices in several areas related to broadband policy making. This comprehensive volume encompasses a wealth of areas including digital strategies, regulatory frameworks, spectrum management, competition and infrastructure bottlenecks, broadband access, affordability, sector taxation, inclusion, convergence, regional integration, education, skills, business uptake, entrepreneurship, local content, e-health, digital government, consumer policy, and digital security and privacy.

Foreword -- The shifting digital paradigm in Latin America -- The demand gap: drivers and public policies -- Regional and international connectivity -- Broadband, digitization and development -- Mobile broadband: the urgent need for speedier roll-out -- Cloud computing, structural change and job creation in SMEs -- National broadband plans -- Broadband and industrial policy: the Korean experience -- Net neutrality: debate and policies -- The advance of cloud computing -- The challenge of over-the-top content and services

This joint initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the OECD seeks to encourage the expansion of broadband networks and services in the region, supporting a coherent and cross-sectorial approach, to maximise their benefits for economic and social development. Drawing on a wealth of experience from LAC and OECD countries, the Toolkit outlines the main policy objectives in this area and provides guidance for their measurement, an overview of developments in the region, and a compilation of good practices in several areas related to broadband policy making. This comprehensive volume encompasses a wealth of areas including digital strategies, regulatory frameworks, spectrum management, competition and infrastructure bottlenecks, broadband access, affordability, sector taxation, inclusion, convergence, regional integration, education, skills, business uptake, entrepreneurship, local content, e-health, digital government, consumer policy, and digital security and privacy.

This joint initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the OECD seeks to encourage the expansion of broadband networks and services in the region, supporting a coherent and cross-sectorial approach, to maximise their benefits for economic and social development.

Latin America and the Caribbean is well positioned to participate in the digital economy and leverage its opportunities. Cloud computing is an enabling technology, forming the foundation of big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things, and constituting one of the main pillars of the digital economy. Cloud computing allows government customers to access industry-shaping technology at a speed, cost, and scale previously reserved for the largest companies in the private sector. Governments can essentially do more with less and use newly freed resources—in cost and human capital—to address key challenges they face. In addition to maximizing investments and avoiding additional investments in legacy IT infrastructure, cloud computing enables public sector organizations and government agencies to meet mission-critical objectives and to innovate. Cloud computing represents a unique opportunity for governments in the region to improve productivity and facilitate adoption of the latest technologies and those still to come. By eliminating the upfront costs of IT infrastructure, and having thousands of IT tools and almost unlimited computing capacity available with a pay-as-you-go model, cloud computing also represents a unique opportunity to small and medium enterprises and large corporations to adopt and use state-of-the-art IT solutions. To leverage the benefits of cloud services and new technological developments, governments in Latin America and the Caribbean need to undertake public policy initiatives to develop policy frameworks that quell concerns around data protection, cybersecurity, financial market regulation, and data privacy. This publication provides a specific review on key policies and actions to encourage the adoption of digital infrastructures based on cloud that will empower the global competitiveness of Latin America and the Caribbean.

This third edition of Government at a Glance Latin America and the Caribbean provides the latest available evidence on public administrations and their performance in the LAC region and compares it to OECD countries. This publication includes indicators on public finances and economics, public employment, centres of government, regulatory governance, open government data, public sector integrity, public procurement and for the first time core government results (e.g. trust, inequality reduction).