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08/01/2007From Piraí to Paraty, Brazil's Proderj Pushes 100% Digital State
Proderj is the Center for Communication and Information Technology of Rio de Janeiro State, in Brazil. Proderj's Digital Cities Project is integral to the organization's effort to make Rio de Janeiro Brazil’s first 100-percent fully digital state. In an interview with the Broadband Wireless Communities Report, Tereza Porto, Proderj’s president, traced the origins of the Project from rural Piraí, beginning in 2002, to Paraty, which just launched a one-square-kilometer Wi-Fi pilot project in July. Proderj will participate at the Digital Cities Convention in São Paulo this September.
 W2i: How did Proderj come into being, and what is its mandate in regard to telecommunications and IT in Rio de Janeiro State?
Tereza Porto: Proderj was born as a foundation named CPDERJ, the Data Processing Center of Rio de Janeiro State, in 1968. Since then, it has expanded twice and is responsible for proposing models and technical orientation to establish a CIT policy in Rio’s public administration. Proderj has evolved from a large data bureau to a Web services provider to the organs connected through the State’s public network. It is also a developer of e-government solutions, always pursuing the modernization of public management.
Proderj’s main goal is to put “technology at the service of citizens,” which means we are totally involved with digital and social inclusion initiatives. Toward this end, building digital cities and “corridors” connecting Rio de Janeiro State is another focus of our work.
Q. How does Proderj assist with independent, broadband-wireless projects around the State?
A. Proderj’s Digital Cities Project was inspired by a pioneer experience in Piraí, led by Mayor by Luiz Fernando Pezão, who is now the State’s vice governor. Piraí was the first municipality to deploy its own fiber-optic infrastructure for high-speed data communication and wireless technologies support, largely to overcome the economic crisis that hit the town when the public light company, the biggest employer in the region, went private.
By 2005, Proderj had made an agreement with Apremerj, the Association of Mayors and Towns of Rio de Janeiro State, and has since replicated the Piraí model—both as executive coordinator and in a technical advisory role—working in cooperation with municipal administrations and obtaining private resources.
In choosing which cities will benefit, we look at the creation of a “digital corridor” in the State as a way to optimize financial and technical resources and to reach the largest possible area with wireless. We want to give priority to small towns like Piraí, which has less than 50,000 inhabitants.
Q. Findings from W2i’s Service Provider Executives and Local-Government CIOs roundtable series, at the Digital Cities Convention, suggest that the public-private model is the most mutually advantageous and potentially the most sustainable for cities deploying broadband-wireless infrastructure. How do you view private-sector participation in digital-cities projects?
A. The public-private model is the most viable for the implementation of projects requiring high levels of economic investment, taking a long time to reach maturity, and in which the reach of the State is expected. Considering the public sector’s low capacity to run into debt, and also the excellent know-how of private corporations—which are capable of inserting technological innovations into projects faster—this constitutes a very efficient alternative to delegate and provide the services that society demands.
Telecommunications infrastructure receives too little investment in Brazil. Only 6.7% of Brazilian cities are offered high-speed links to the Internet. Brazil’s broadband national plan is under review because everybody admits that certain activities considered strategic for the development of the country depend on how widespread, secure and fast this infrastructure, or network, is going to be.
Q. New wireless developments are under way in the City of Paraty, managed by Proderj. Can you describe what the citizens and businesses there may look forward to?
A. Proderj was responsible for the executive coordination of Paraty Digital, the setting up of the local logic network, and the providing of the Internet access link through the State’s public network—Infovia.RJ. The pilot project was launched on July 4 and includes a hybrid wireless network already covering one square kilometer of the city. The network provides broadband connectivity to the Internet for three municipal schools, two state schools, the town hall and other public institutions seats. To provide free, permanent access to the Web, Proderj has installed a Communitary Internet Center in a former public building, where free digital alphabetization courses will be given.
The project is also a public-private model, including a private link in its logic network, dedicated to future commercial exploration of voice, video and Internet access services by existing and future local enterprises. Paraty is a historic city full of ecologic attributes, and it will now have one more reason more to attract tourism—its most important economic activity—expand to new local production chains, and improve its rate of human development.
Q. In March, Brazil’s regulatory authority Anatel approved new rules allowing the country’s 5,500 municipalities to offer broadband-wireless access to constituents through a convenient and affordable licensing procedure. Do you believe the rules will contribute to bridging the digital divide in Rio de Janeiro State?
A. Anatel verified a trend in municipal administrations building telecommunications systems, based on restricted radio frequencies, to allow citizens access to online municipal services and to the Internet. This demand has increased considerably, thanks to the easy implementation of low-cost broadband-wireless networks (mostly based on Wi-Fi technology) and the ruling satisfies this.
Face-to-face services can be replaced by remote access through a citizen’s own computer or by call-center attendants and public computer terminals. Creating affordable conditions for municipalities to offer such services is an advancement, especially when the use of these channels represents no cost to the population and is in line with the constitutional mission of the cities’ administrations. The question now is how we are going to use these wireless technologies to really democratize broadband access for people in their homes, and for companies and industries.
Q. Around the world, digital inclusion is talked about in conflicting ways—as a business model, or never as a business model. As an imperative of society, or as a divider of society. As less about connectivity and more about education. How do you view digital inclusion through your own experiences in Rio de Janeiro State?
A. We understand digital inclusion as a path to improve the living conditions of a certain community or region through technology. It is an inseparable part of social inclusion, and must be treated specially by government, considering its relevance and the need to guarantee the basic rights to the citizens, such as the right to information, to education and to culture, across physical, social, economic or technologic frontiers. Digital tools can not only democratize human knowledge, but also contribute to reducing poverty and unemployment, speeding up small local enterprises and cultural productions, and stimulating sustainable development involving the State, private companies, academia and civil-society organizations. We can also see it as a powerful tool to approach citizens and the representative spheres of public power, using services of e-government as a channel.
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