Although just over half of the world’s population has come online, how are governments setting the targets required to get us to universal access? In many cases, they aren’t.

This session will serve as a teaser for the forthcoming release of A4AI’s annual flagship publication, the Affordability Report, and focus on the importance of national broadband plans in driving progress in affordable and meaningful access for everyone, especially those in low- and middle-income countries.

The launch will include a panel discussion, bringing together voices from the ITU, the Government of Bangladesh, UNESCAP, ATCON in Nigeria, and Smart Africa, to illustrate the importance of broadband plans for all stakeholders involved in internet governance. From this panel discussion, the session will turn to a participatory workshop on strategies to raise the importance of broadband plans and encourage an inclusive, evidence-based process for setting out future plans.