Abstract:

Background and purpose:
Affordability is a central pillar of meaningful connectivity and a key mediator between digital access and educational outcomes. For low-income households, the cost of connectivity remains the main driver of digital exclusion, with direct implications for students’ learning conditions and performance in standardized assessments. In Colombia, the Digital Connectivity Public Policy (PPCD) identifies affordability as a strategic enabler; however, persistent fiscal, regulatory, and operational constraints limit its capacity to reduce educational inequalities. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the PPCD in advancing affordability and examines its relationship with educational outcomes, focusing on performance in the national upper-secondary examination (Saber 11).

Methodology:
The study adopts a mixed-method fiscal and policy assessment combining: (1) findings from micro-level fiscal audits conducted by the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) on key sectoral institutions—FUTIC, the Ministry of ICT (MinTIC), and the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC); (2) verification of targets and indicators associated with the affordability enabler; (3) an in-depth analysis of the flagship public investment project BPIN 2018011000401, aimed at subsidizing broadband access for vulnerable households; and (4) a correlational analysis between territorial affordability conditions and Saber 11 results. The analysis examines subsidy design, tariff regulation, budget execution, and service sustainability.

Results:
The findings reveal partial progress and persistent structural limitations. The BPIN affordability project achieved only 45.39% of its target by 2024, leaving more than half of the planned households unserved. Fiscal audits identify recurrent weaknesses in subsidy design, internal control systems, budget programming, and monitoring mechanisms. Regulatory constraints limit the CRC’s capacity to promote effective competition and sustained affordable pricing. The correlational analysis shows that territories with lower affordability—expressed through higher relative connectivity costs and service discontinuity—consistently exhibit lower average Saber 11 scores, particularly in mathematics and reading. These gaps persist even where nominal coverage exists, indicating that affordability, rather than access alone, shapes educational outcomes.

Conclusion:
The study concludes that sustainable affordability is an underdeveloped yet decisive enabler of both meaningful connectivity and educational equity. Limited target achievement, regulatory weaknesses, and insufficient budget sustainability constrain the capacity of digital policy to improve educational outcomes, as reflected in Saber 11 performance. Addressing affordability through integrated fiscal, regulatory, and sustainability mechanisms is essential to prevent connectivity policies from reproducing territorial and educational inequalities.

Keywords:

Affordability, meaningful connectivity, digital inclusion, fiscal evaluation, low-income households, ICT policy, Colombia.