In the Commission VI of the House of Representativeshe Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MINTIC) and the entities of the sector presented the balance of the budget execution by 2025, and responded concerns about the budget project for next year.
During the presentation, the ICT Minister Julián Molinasaid that 85% of the budget assigned for this year has already been executed, equivalent to about $ 1.95 billion of the $ 2.3 defined.
As mentioned in the session, These resources have allowed executing connectivity, digital education and ICT infrastructure projects, especially in vulnerable regions. The minister said that this high level of execution contrasts with the 23% reduction projected by 2026, which would reduce the budget to $ 1.7 billion, and affect the continuity of some of the sector’s programs.
Internet connection
“Having the Internet translates better opportunities for historically disconnected communities. Connectivity today is better than in past years, and it is that Internet right is fundamental because it transforms lives and opens opportunities. Each connected home represents a step to equity, at the close of the digital gap. Therefore, defending the budget of the ICT sector is to defend the right to decent life and access to better opportunities for all“The portfolio chief said.
The execution, according to Molina, allowed significant advances in connectivity, especially in rural educational institutions, in which it went from 12% to 58% so far from government, and it is expected to finish with approximately 70%. In addition, he said that 2,600 Internet joints were deployed in 12 departments.
The minister also highlighted the advances Fiber Optics Planthanks to which this network has already been deployed to improve the connectivity of 191 municipalities of La Guajira, Vichada and Nariño, among other priority and remote regions.
Julián Molina, Mintic.
Another of the objectives pursued by MINTIC is the digital education of Colombians, in which the Government has deployed different programs to form new talents in areas such as cybersecurity, data analysis, programming and artificial intelligence.
“Our work not only focuses on connectivity, but a digital education, a task that we can say that with dignity we comply, having about 700,000 people trained in ICT skills, of the goal of one million. And it is not enough to build fiber optic networks: we must ensure that communities appropriate these tools to work in cybersecurity, programming, artificial intelligence and data analysis“said the Minister of ICT.
During your presentation, Molina said that the sector faces a challenge regarding the budget cut proposed by 2026, which would force essential goals to rethink. Projects such as the connection of 100% of rural schools and the installation of another 1,200 Internet joints would be affected. Given this situation, he explained to the representatives the importance of not reducing the budget, to keep active connectivity, digital education and ICT appropriation active with which the country will leave digital poverty behind.
Internet connection
Several of the representatives that make up Commission VI highlighted the importance of increasing the budget of the ICT Ministry, in order to increase connectivity in the regions, especially rural areas, as well as the delivery of computers that allow young people to access tools for digital education. In addition, they celebrated the management of the head of the portfolio, especially for their work in the regions.
Portfolio
