ICT Minister Alexandra Falla Zerrate presented what she called the “first accurate, reconciled assessment of the previous government’s Internet Boards program, which fell far short of the targets promised at the time,” according to a statement from the ministry.

“The initial promise to establish 5,000 Internet Boards was gradually scaled back to 4,000 registered boards and contracts for just 810, of which only 353 are operational — barely 7% of the original target. The previous government initially promised that these boards, which it sought to turn into operators, would provide connectivity to more than 235,000 households by 2026. Today, only 20,433 households have service, or about 8% of that target,” the statement said.

“Despite repeated adjustments, the program still failed to meet its targets, leaving many families waiting for a solution that never came,” ICT Minister Alexandra Falla Zerrate said.

The ministry cited several examples. In Caldas, officials announced plans to establish 160 boards that would provide connectivity to 8,000 households. The target was subsequently revised, eventually falling to between 16 and 70 boards, of which only 20 were delivered. Following several meetings and an analysis of the figures, the department announced that it would return US$1.63 million.

According to the MinTIC, “the failure to deliver on promises made to Colombians was not limited to the number of boards installed. Connection quality also fell short: although download speeds of 25 Mbps were promised, two-thirds of the boards installed now offer download speeds of just 8 Mbps.”

Minister Falla said that, through proper oversight and responsible action, the ministry would ensure that the funds were returned and viable alternatives were proposed. “The Miracle Homeland will not abandon these families. We are verifying on the ground which installations are technically and financially viable. In addition to assessing operating conditions, we will demand compliance with contractual obligations. Any unspent funds must be returned,” she said.

She also called for clear information to be provided to communities about the status of the projects. In many regions, community action boards and social organizations established Internet Boards and took responsibility for managing their networks. These communities deserve to know what remains to be done, who is responsible and what conditions are needed to ensure that the service operates and remains sustainable over time.

“The program was based on a political premise: that operators were not reaching these areas and that community action boards could replace them. Along the way, hundreds of small, legally operating internet service providers (ISPs) that already served these rural communities with their own networks, technicians and customers were overlooked and placed under the authority of a public intermediary. No improvements in service quality or sustainability were demonstrated, regional ISPs were not considered, and there were no competitive processes or cost-benefit indicators,” the MinTIC statement said.

“To those who were left waiting for a service that never arrived, we assure you that we are working to make connectivity a reality in your regions. Once again, we have inherited a problem from the previous government. But we will solve it through a technical, responsible and serious approach,” the minister concluded.