Ensuring broadband access during and after the pandemic: A conversation with Nneka Chiazor and Frans Vandendries

Broadband has proven to be quite important for households and businesses during lockdowns. But making broadband financially viable for operators has proven to be difficult when customers cannot afford broadband. How are countries resolving this challenge?

I interviewed Nneka Chiazor and Frans Vandendries on their experiences with this challenge as part of our Next Practices Live series. Nneka is with Cox Communications and is responsible for Cox’s regulatory policy work in the eastern part of the US. Frans is with Rockwater International Communications Advisors Inc. in Canada and was formerly with Cable and Wireless in the Caribbean.

The three of us discussed:

• Their experiences during the pandemic
• What stands in the way of expanded broadband access
• Challenges for broadband providers
• Ways that governments and broadband providers can work together
• How the pandemic is affecting the business model for broadband providers
• How regulation and policy might change to improve outcomes.