I&J contributed

Published on
June 21, 2016

Digital Single Market in Latin America

On June 21, 2016, Internet & Jurisdiction’s Bertrand de la Chapelle spoke in a plenary session during the 4th annual Latin American Telecommunications Congress in Cancún, Mexico.

The title of the session was the same as the central question it addressed: “Europe’s Digital Single Market Strategy—Is it Possible to Replicate it in Latin America?” Panelists discussed the outlook of the digital economy in Latin America, the challenges presented by a fragmented market, and the experience of implementing the Digital Single Market in the European Union.

The twenty countries that constitute Latin America and the Caribbean are home to more than 600 million inhabitants. In recent years, the expansion of broadband and the accelerated process of digitalization has contributed billions of dollars to the regional GDP and generated thousands of jobs. As Internet penetration continues across the region, policymakers are considering the potential of a single digital market to promote investment, development, connectivity, and the growth of the digital economy.

Yet despite the benefits of a digital single market for Latin America, implementing common regulatory frameworks to enable the free movement of persons, services, and capital throughout the region will be a large obstacle, especially considering that Latin America currently lacks a supranational governing body like the European Union to ensure implementation and compliance with new regulations.

Mr. La Chapelle spoke about the specific challenges of coexisting national jurisdictions in cyberspace, and how present limitations to legal interoperability might affect Latin America’s transition to a single digital market. Information about the effects of uncoordinated approaches to apply national laws on the Internet on the digital economy, human rights, and the Internet’s technical architecture can be found in the most recent I&J Paper, commissioned by the Global Commission for Internet Governance.

Speakers

Jeffrey Campbell

Vice President of Global Affairs for the Americas

CISCO

Mario Cimoli

Director of Productive and Enterprise Development

Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL)

Bertrand de La Chapelle

Director

Internet & Jurisdiction

Ernesto Flores Roux

President Councilor

Mexican Federal Institute of Telecommunications

Kaja Kallas

Member

European Parliament

José Juan Haro

Director of Wholesale Business and Regulation for Latin America

Telefónica

Juan Manuel Wilches

Expert Commissioner

Colombian Commission for Communications Regulation

Gonzalo Navarro

Executive Director of the Latin American Internet Association

Latin American Internet Association (ALAI)

Roberto Viola

General Director, DG CONNECT

European Commission

About the Latin American Telcom Congress

The Latin American Telecommunications Congress gathers all of the main actors of the Latin American telecommunications industry to share experiences, best practices, and discuss public policies and regional regulatory challenges. The 2016 CLT was its fourth annual meeting.

The Congress is organized by theInter-American Association of Telecommunications (ASIET), the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), GSMA, the Mexican Secretariat of Communications and Transport, and the UN International Telecommunication Union.