Telecom companies and governments around the world are working fast to ensure that people have services both during and after the pandemic. But that is proving difficult because revenues are down, demand is up, and costs are up. And governments are sometimes asking operators to do more even while under lockdown restrictions. How are operators and governments coordinating when they cannot physically meet? How are countries learning from each other?

These questions were the subject of Next Practices Live with Stephen Bereaux, Deputy to the Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) at the International Telecommunication Union. PURC is honored to be able to work with Mr. Bereaux. He served as a telecommunications regulator in the Bahamas and in Trinidad & Tobago. And he is a frequent lecturer in PURC’s training programs.

Stephen talked about BDT’s efforts to coordinate government, telecom company and multilateral organization responses to COVID-19, how BDT helps with communications and sharing experiences and practices, and the resources that BDT has created to help ensure that citizens have the broadband services they need.