Imcon International, Inc. Teams Up with The Democracy Lab Foundation To Provide Internet Connectivity to Indigenous and Underserved Populations of Costa Rica
Costa Rica to Serve as Regional Hub for Imcon as it Expands Across Latin America
Atlanta, GA, January 8, 2019 – Imcon International Inc., the developer of the Internet Backpack, a remote connectivity solution that allows users to communicate from almost every location on the planet, has partnered with The Democracy Lab Foundation, the non-profit foundation dedicated to helping citizens achieve civic engagement with their governments in Central America. Together, Imcon and Democracy Lab will work with the Government of Costa Rica and non-governmental organizations to bring internet connectivity to indigenous and other underserved, remote populations of the country. The announcement was made today by Rob Loud, CEO, Imcon International, Inc. and Dr. Alvaro Salas-Castro, Democracy Lab Foundation Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board.
Mr. Loud recently led a delegation that met with high ranking Costa Rican government officials and NGO’s, including members of the Costa Rican Congress. Imcon and The Democracy Lab are working with the Republic of Costa Rica’s Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications, and several NGOs based in Costa Rica, including Fundacion Omar Dengo, Fundacion Quiros Tanzi, Fundacion Mision Tiburon and La Esquina.
Imcon will endeavor to work with these groups to deliver Internet Backpacks for up to 800 indigenous and rural schools in Costa Rica. This public-private partnership would also have the added benefit of providing connectivity to others working in remote areas of the country, such as park rangers.
In Costa Rica, 2.2 million people out of a population of 4.9 million (45%) are not connected to the internet. Out of a total Latin American population of 686 million, more than 300 million people are not digitally connected. (Source: Internet Live Stats)
“Imcon is committed to helping bridge the digital and information gaps by providing this essential last mile connection,” said Mr. Loud. “This partnership in Costa Rica, which follows our recently announced collaboration in West Africa, brings us a step closer to achieving our ultimate goal of bringing all global citizens online and creating a level playing field with regards to information and technology. We chose San Jose as the Regional hub because it is the technology epicenter of Central America.”
“The services Imcon has agreed to provide will have immeasurable value for the development of the most remote and impoverished communities of our country,” said Luis Dobles Junqueira, Chief of Staff for Costa Rica’s Minister of Education. “It is with great anticipation and optimism that we look forward to seeing the results of this ambitious and highly innovative program.”
“This program aligns perfectly with our underlying vision that a healthy democracy requires citizens to have the knowledge and education needed to meaningfully participate in their own governance,” said Dr. Salas-Castro. “Providing digital connectivity for these communities will be hugely impactful in achieving our broader mission. Working in partnership with Imcon, we are establishing a base that will enable us to expand out across Latin America and address the enormous need for connectivity in this region of the world.”
About The Democracy Lab
The Democracy Lab (DL) is a citizen oriented think tank based in Costa Rica. The DL mission is to turn information into knowledge for citizens so they can meaningfully participate in their own governance. The board of directors and research fellows are committed to the scientific method and evidence based policies and above all go disseminate knowledge through various channels of communication and to a broad spectrum of citizens.
About Imcon
Imcon International, Inc., is an immediate connectivity solutions provider. Imcon is developing edgeware services and device solutions, such as the Internet Backpack, which conform to the Open Specifications Model for the Internet of Things v0.5. The Internet Backpack is a remote connectivity solution utilizing narrow-bandwidth utilities which allows users to be able to communicate from almost every location on the planet. The Internet Backpack also allows users to create internal wireless networks with large coverage areas utilizing various radio frequencies. Please visit http://imconintl.com for more information.
Contacts
For Imcon International:
Rob Loud
Imcon International, Inc.
Rob@imconintl.com
470-210-0760
Alan Winnikoff
Sayles & Winnikoff Communications
alan@sayleswinnikoff.com
212-725-5200 x111
For The Democracy Lab:
Alvaro A. Salas-Castro Ph.D.
The Democracy Lab
asalas@democracy-lab.org
(506) 71897326