The Internet in Latin America:
A detailed look at the cases of Mexico and Uruguay

e-Mexico

Mexico: Initiatives to Promote the Internet

       Internet usage and access in Mexico is expanding and many organizations and programs, private, governmental, and NPO, have been created in order to promote this growth and help transform Mexico into a truly connected nation.     


       One of the Mexican government’s most ambitious programs is the e-Mexico initiative. It is a 400 million dollar initiative aiming offer internet to all Mexicans, eliminate government corruption through an e-governance system, and offer education resources to remote villages. This will be extremely difficult to achieve for the Mexican government. Mexico is still nowhere near 100% penetration, and the lofty initiative will rely heavily on outside funding, as the government does not have that much money to spend on such a project. There are thousands of computers still needed, and internet-education will be difficult to achieve, as many Mexicans have never used a computer before. The program has a long way to go, but at least it is underway and has strong backing from the public and politicians alike. The e-Mexico initiative also calls for all aspects of the government to be transparent, and many government sites now have links to their respective budget breakdowns.  With a few more years and continuing support from the Mexican government, this program will do a lot to help the rest of Mexico online. Through the INEGI (National Institute of Statistics and Geographic Information), the Mexican government has also launched a user-friendly site with information about the Internet and how it can be used for education, business, and communication. The site is called CiberHabitat Mexico and it has resources for people of all ages available. These are good signs that the Mexican government acknowledges the importance of Internet connectivity and is working to expand it.

The Internet Society Mexico Chapter was established in 1996, and aims primarily to expand the development and availability of the Internet in Mexico. The ISMC has conducted a yearly Internet congress during every year since its conception, and is currently working alongside the Information Technology Industry Association of Mexico towards a conference about Internet 2. The Mexican Internet Association (AMIPCI) is yet another NPO that intends to consolidate the Internet industry in Mexico and foster economic growth through internet use. AMIPCI also conducts yearly Internet usage surveys and posts them on their website. The existence of Associations like the ones mentioned above is a great sign that people in Mexico who are knowledgeable about the Internet industry are interested in helping it grow.

Hopefully through the efforts of the Mexican government and associations such as the ISMC and AMIPCI Internet usage will continue to increase exponentially until all of Mexico is connected. Although it is growing quickly, Internet usage in Mexico has not yet reached a critical point at which the people can use it as an effective governance, education, and communication tool, but with continued support and a bit of time, Mexico can reach that goal.


References: 

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2002/02/50622

http://www.e-mexico.gob.mx/

 http://www.inegi.gob.mx/inegi/default.aspx

 http://ciberhabitat.gob.mx/

 http://www.isocmex.org.mx/intro.html

 http://www.amipci.org.mx/

 http://www.amipci.org.mx/estudios.php