Broadband in the Canary Islands: a complicated path

Broadband is considered a vital infrastructure for countries, similar to electrical or water networks. Its development is of maximum importance. Proof of that is the list of recommendations that the UN Broadband Commission has enunciated, in order to improve the state of broadband in an national and international level. Among these recommendations, we find the need to strengthen digital skills; the importance of entrepreneurship on digital businesses; the adaptation of legal framework to this context; and the reduction of taxes in broadband services and ICT equipment. 

Periferic territories have always been the most vulnerable to technological changes. For that matter, the relationship between broadband and the Canary Islands (a highlight thanks to the volcano of La Palma) has always been quite complicated. We analyze it in collaboration with Julia Borges Cervera. There are three main reasons that explain this fact. First of all, the distance that goes from the Islands to the Iberian Peninsula. From Cádiz (the closest point) to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria there are more than 1268 km. 

Instagram and sports: the strenght of interactivity and broadband

Social media are a key factor in the cloud journalism environment of Broadband Society. One of the most recognized and popular social networks is Instagram, and we will analyze it in collaboration with Marc Fontanet Aguilera.

Instagram (commonly abbreviated to IG or Insta) is an American photo and video sharing social networking service created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger. Nowadays Instagram belongs to Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, who bought the project for approximately 1 billion dollars in cash and stock. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can be shared publicly or with pre-approved followers. Also, users can like photos and follow other users to add their content to a personal feed.