Today, hundreds of thousands of citizens in rural Colombia, from the Coffee Region and Nariño to the Pacific Coast and the Amazon, are suffering the consequences of the digital divide. Peasant families, students, and entrepreneurs cannot access information, online education, or basic government services due to intermittent or nonexistent internet connectivity. This reality must stop. Children and young people in these communities should have the same learning opportunities as their peers in the cities, but the lack of infrastructure condemns them to limited development, deepening economic and social inequality in our country.

If we allow this situation to continue, we have to accept that Colombia's future will be less fair. By denying rural areas adequate connectivity, we are limiting the agricultural sector's economic growth, preventing telemedicine in remote areas, and making informed democratic participation impossible. Connectivity is now a fundamental right. If we act now, we can empower these communities to access global markets, improve their crops with technology, and retain young talent in their territories. If we do not act, the Colombian countryside will remain behind, and migration to cities might continue to increase. We must understand that investing in rural connectivity is investing in peace and equity for the entire nation.

The time to act is now. With regional development funds and national infrastructure plans, the Government has to prioritize the expansion of the fiber optic network and the implementation of affordable satellite solutions in every municipality. We demand that our authorities must allocate specific and transparent budgets for this purpose in the next fiscal year. We can ensure that all Colombians are connected. Sign this petition to demand that our leaders take immediate and definitive measures to build a country where opportunity should not depend on a zip code.