Public policies of connectivity in Latin America in the context of COVID-19

Abstract

This article analyses the digital policies introduced in different Latin American countries during the first three months after the outbreak of COVID-19 reached the region (March, June 2020). This analysis has a three-fold objective: (a) to give an overviewof the status of connectivity in five big Latin American countries: Argentina,Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico; (b) to study comparatively the actions andregulations implemented on connectivity matters by the governments of eachcountry to face the pandemic; and (c) to provide insights in relation withtelecommunications policies in the context of pandemic emergence at a regional level. To that end, this study will consider legal regulations and specific public policies in this field, official documents from the public and private sectors, and statistics on ICT access and usage in the region.