Interview with Flávia Lefèvre, member of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee
Flávia Lefèvre is acting as a elected representative of civil society organizations at the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) since 2014 now reelected for her second term, ending in 2019. She hold a master's degree on Civil Legal Process at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, PUC-SP. She published several works on the legal field regarding consumer's rights since 1998.
With the big program of Privatization of the Telecommunications sector in Brazil, in 1998, Flávia started to follow the debates actively, supported initially by Inter American Bank (BID) as observer of those regulation process.
Based in numbers compiled and published by mrs Flávia's work, the actual landscape of access to broadband internet in Brazil is the following:
50% of the country is connected
97% of the population between the A and B income classes are connected
Around 15% of the population with income levels C,D and E are connected
In the legal instances, all the regulatory agencies both technical and the congress are very susceptible to the influence and power of those large economic groups. Sharing internet connection with your neighbour, for example is not allowed by the law.
Reports for the Secretary General conducted by Frank de La Rue stated that internet access as a form of communication should be considered as a Human Right, and subject to protection by the UN system, and a great number of offices such as UNCTAD, UNESCO and the UNHCR assumed that statement as part of their agendas.
I this direction, a booklet was released to help small associations and NGOs with the possibility of they act as local community internet providers.
Broadband in Brazil, Past, present and future. A full and comprehensive book about the topics regarding Broadband internet access in Brazil. in English.
Booklet for setting up community internet providers in Brazil. Technical and legal practical guide.
Flávia Lefèvre's profile at the CGI website
Flávia Lefèvre's personal page
Articles in portuguese with detailed information on the telecommunication's regulation discussions since 2008.
Artigo XIX international NGO for the human right of freedom of expression and the access to information.
