The Digital Centers program promotes free community access to the Internet in rural and remote areas of the country. Ministry of ICT.

The Minister of ICT, Sandra Milena Urrutia, announced her visit to the Humberto Velázquez García Educational Institution at the headquarters of the Rural Development Concentration, in the rural area of ​​the municipality of Zona Bananera, Magdalena, during which 3 692 new digital centers have been put into service in the country.

2,919 of them are located in Region A departments such as Santander, La Guajira, Huila, Norte de Santander and Córdoba, among others; the remaining 773 are in Region B in departments such as Casanare, Chocó, Nariño, Magdalena and Putumayo.

“Of the 14,057 digital centers to be installed across the country, 3,692 have already entered into operation and are available to students, teachers and surrounding communities in rural schools and colleges to access the Internet; Until a few months ago this program was a dream, a utopia, today it is a reality,” said the minister.

Con la entrada en trada operativa de estos points de conectividad, el país alcanza los 5.207 digital centers al servicio de la ciudadania en instituciones educativas, resguardos indígenas, parques naturales, guarniciones militares, puestos de salud, Espacios Territoriales de Capacitación y Reincorporation y casas de Culture.

“It is the internet of the regions, of deep Colombia. These communities are very important for the government of change and this is demonstrated by the serious and dedicated work that we have done in recent months to make digital hubs a reality. Ensuring access to ICTs to populations in remote areas is to open the doors of opportunity and equality to them,” said the head of the ministry.

Tumaco, San Vicente del Caguán, San José del Guaviare and Fundación are the headquarters of the four new peace stations that have been broadcast this February 10, adding to the 12 already existing, which represents the achievement of 80% of the objective of 20 stations, established in the Havana Agreement.

“The Total Peace to which we are committed on the part of the Government is built from spaces of listening and participation where all voices are respected; this is what these four new stations represent, a safe space for our reconciliation as a society,” said the Minister of ICT during the opening ceremony held at the facilities of the Fundación station.

The peace stations are operated and administered by the RTVC –Sistema de Medios Públicos via Radio Nacional de Colombia–, they are located in areas historically affected by armed conflict and their communication objectives are to broadcast educational content on the Agreement of peace and to report on its implementation. progress.

The investment of the Colombian state for the production of content in the 16 broadcasting stations amounts to 5,213 million dollars, while the investment in technology and infrastructure exceeds 27 billion dollars.

Delivery workers from Rappi and other delivery apps protest as part of a strike to demand better wages and working conditions, in Bogota, Colombia March 2, 2022. REUTERS/Nathalia Angarita
Delivery workers from Rappi and other delivery apps protest as part of a strike to demand better wages and working conditions, in Bogota, Colombia March 2, 2022. REUTERS/Nathalia Angarita

On Monday, January 23, the Ministries of Labor and Information and Communication Technologies (TIC) announced their commitment to regulate approximately 700 digital platforms that operate in the country. According to the two portfolios, this measure aims to benefit thousands of workers who work for these applications and who do not have decent working conditions.

According to the head of the labor portfolio, Gloria Ines Ramirez, this regulation towards the sectors that depend on and generate employment through the national digital economy allows the employees of these companies to be entitled to social security, thus contributing to the coverage of their basic needs. He even said it would be a productivity boost.

“Whatever the type of work, how it is generated, where there is a worker, there must be a guarantee that there is no precariousness, which means that there is protection social security,” said Minister Ramírez.

For her part, the Minister of ICT, Sandra Milena Urrutiasaid that this is an opportunity for the government, businessmen and workers to conclude agreements for the realization of the right to social security of those who are employees of these 700 applications.

In this regard, he asserted that the experiences of workers and job creators have served to conclude that regulation of these businesses is necessary.

“This is the golden moment to agree, to be able to make a proposal and have a regulatory framework that leads to this breakthrough because digital issues are the future and the present,” added the official.

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