The arrival of connectivity in recent years in the Amazon has been presented as a decisive step toward social inclusion, access to rights, and the integration of historically marginalised territories into public digital policies. Digital inclusion programmes such as WiFi-Brasil and Aprender Conectado claim to connect thousands of people. Federal government publicity for Norte Conectado advertises the connection of millions of people through more than 3,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables laid along rivers, with the promise of bringing internet access to remote municipalities and reducing the so-called “Amazon cost” and environmental risks. According to these programmes, the strategy of using river-based information highways (“infovias”) is intended to minimise environmental impacts and avoid opening new roads in the forest.
In practice, however, the connectivity reaching these territories remains fragile, intermittent and inequitable. Indigenous peoples, quilombola communities and riverine populations continue to live with unstable networks, lack of regular electricity, inadequate equipment and prices incompatible with local realities.
What remained from COP30 in terms of connectivity
COP30, held in Belém at the end of 2025, placed the Amazon at the centre of the global climate debate. Connectivity featured prominently in the discourse of governments and international organisations, presented as a strategic tool for environmental monitoring, distance education, telemedicine and social participation. Digital infrastructure programmes and digital inclusion policies in the Amazon were showcased as examples of “sustainable innovation”, capable of integrating the region into global knowledge and climate finance networks.
However, by the end of the conference, connectivity gaps in peripheral areas and Indigenous territories in the Amazon remained unresolved. Indigenous leaders warned that, without community participation, the internet may reproduce old forms of colonialism: data collection without consent, territorial surveillance, and dependence on big technology companies, as is the case with connectivity via the Starlink low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network in various parts of the Amazon.
COP30 discussed the importance of public policies for digital inclusion that preserve the environment, and highlighted that connectivity is a fundamental condition for climate justice: without internet access, communities cannot receive alerts about extreme events, access reparation policies, or participate in decision-making spaces. Another key point is that connectivity continues to be conceived “from the outside in”, subordinated to geopolitical and corporate interests and disconnected from local priorities such as strengthening Indigenous languages, protecting territories and supporting community-based economies.
In this light, civil society organisations have long been discussing what connectivity in the Amazon should look like. One example of this collective effort is the “Letter of Recommendations for Digital Policies in the Amazon”, led by the Centro Popular de Comunicação e Audiovisual (CPA), launched in 2023 and signed by several organisations and collectives, including Rede Wayuri.
Post-COP30, discussions and debates on connectivity in the Amazon, and on more inclusive and sustainable public policies, are expected to gain momentum, particularly emphasising the presence and participation of representatives from communities spread across the Amazon.
Meaningful connectivity: From concept to Amazonian reality
Discussions at the Brazilian Internet Governance Forum have consolidated the understanding that it is not enough to install antennas or lay cables along rivers: mere internet access is insufficient to achieve what is considered meaningful connectivity. In this context of rethinking methodologies for connectivity in Brazil, the notion of meaningful connectivity emerges, a concept introduced in 2019 by the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) and later refined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In 2024, NIC.br published the study “Meaningful connectivity: Measurement proposals and the portrait of the population in Brazil”, based on nine indicators.
In debates on universalisation of internet access, the notion of meaningful connectivity is an important reference, but not the only one. Discussions on the concept propose an empirical approach to measuring conditions of internet access and use in the country.
In the Amazonian context, where research faces challenges in collecting connectivity data, the North region represents one of the most challenging contexts in terms of meaningful connectivity, according to the report “Redes na Floresta: mapeamento das políticas de conectividade na região amazônica brasileira” (“Networks in the Forest: Mapping digital inclusion policies in the Brazilian Amazon region”), published by InternetLab in partnership with Instituto Nupef in 2025. Only 11% of the population reaches the highest levels on the scale, while 44% falls within the group with the poorest access conditions.
In practice, many Indigenous and riverine communities do not have full-time access to electricity, and connectivity depends on the use of antennas such as Starlink, which few people can afford to acquire or maintain. Digital inclusion policies that do reach these areas are often open-access, meaning that in many cases numerous users connect simultaneously, resulting in poor connection quality to the point that simple activities such as downloading a public call for proposals, accessing platforms such as Gov.br, or participating in a virtual meeting become significant challenges.
When these concepts are used to measure connectivity in the Amazon, the scale of the challenge becomes clear. Even today, there are Indigenous communities in territories far from urban centres and riverine communities that have no internet signal at all, or, when they do, have only precarious service. This situation creates openings for dependence on individual initiatives, which often exacerbates inequalities rather than reducing them. Transforming this reality is essential if the internet is to cease being merely a cable crossing the forest and instead become a true tool for empowering these populations.
The role of Indigenous and community organisations
It is important to remember that initiatives and projects developed by civil society organisations, such as Indigenous organisations, do not replace public policies nor are they intended to assume the role of the state. However, in the Amazon in particular, some organisations and networks have been building pathways and alternatives to mobilise connectivity and internet access in their territories, in response to the lack of effective public policies.
Some examples include the initiative of the Federação das Organizações Indígenas do Rio Negro (FOIRN), a representative organisation of the 23 Indigenous peoples living in the region, which has been promoting connectivity in Indigenous communities for several years through partnerships and support networks. Another notable project is Conexão Povos da Floresta, carried out by a coalition of Indigenous and civil society organisations, which has already connected 2,188 communities across nine Amazonian states, with the number of users exceeding 50,000 (figures as of January 2026).
These experiences show that connectivity only makes sense when linked to life projects serving purposes such as territorial monitoring against illegal mining, direct sale of handicrafts, intercultural education, and strengthening community assemblies. In this context, the internet becomes a political tool and an important instrument for territorial management.
At COP30, the need for and importance of connectivity for these populations became clear, as they are directly involved in caring for territories, forests, rivers and the surrounding biodiversity and are essential to curbing the climate crisis we face today.
Beyond the cable: Connectivity with the forest standing
Connectivity in the Amazon cannot replicate the logic of large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the major hydroelectric dams built in the region, which were implemented without dialogue or consultation with Indigenous and riverine peoples who would be affected. Today, these projects (hydroelectric dams and other enterprises) are damaging rivers, livelihoods and biodiversity. Connectivity must instead be a policy that strengthens the protection of territories, languages and local economies.
In the Amazonian context, the concept of meaningful connectivity must be appropriated and redefined beyond existing indicators to include social and cultural dimensions. To achieve this, debates and the development of public policies for digital inclusion must involve the participation of these communities. Only then will it be possible to achieve connectivity that meets real needs and truly functions as a technology that enables access to fundamental rights, promotes social justice and respects Amazonian populations, who play a crucial role in keeping the forest standing.
Juliana Baré and Ray Baniwa are communicators with Rede Wayuri and participated in COP30 in Belém, Pará.