Public policy aimed at the democratization of internet access by the citizen. It consists of installing internet in public squares of cities, so that the population has free access to use it. The innovation point of this action refers to the engagement of service providers as partners.

To provide a free internet access point in the city, so that all citizens have the possibility to use technology.

To reach the whole state of Maranhão (217 cities) in the next 4 years by providing at least one MARANET Point in each one of them.

The main difficulties overcome were (i) the lack of internet infrastructure available in the interior of the State, (ii) the difficulty of logistics resulting from the extension of the State, (iii) the state bureaucracy to accelerate the execution of the facilities in the squares.

The MARANET Project development model focused on valuing local Internet providers by engaging them in the action. These providers are distributed regionally throughout the territory of the state. Each of them acts in a group, usually small in counties. They provide an available link in exchange of free advertising (for instance, in the totem of access, and as an endorsement given by the Government).


Stakeholder: Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation

Partners: local Internet providers and City Halls.

The actions of planning, implementation and execution and monitoring of the program are thus conducted:

Public call for proposals to prospect Internet companies that are interested in the partnership;
Selection of target cities of MARANET, based on the analysis of the socioeconomic vulnerability of the population, the area of action of the internet providers that are envisioned partners and its effective quality;
Study of the suitability of MARANET to the city and the local place in where it is intended to install it;
Implantation of the totem and internet point;
Monitoring of the Internet usage in each municipality by a cloud-based platform;

Results:
- 150 k access from different users MARANET from June to December 2018
- 40 cities reached
- 800 Mb/monthly downloaded per user on average.
- Each user performed more than ten sessions of MARANET usage, monthly.
Impact:
According to several recorded users reports, MARANET has represented an effective opportunity for digital inclusion. Engaged providers approved the public policy model, and reported positive effects on their business. The cities where the public policy took place went through a process of revitalization, including their surroundings.

Enabling factors:
Partnership with private companies local internet providers;

Constraints:
Seasonal technology limitations, for instance on occasion of local festivities that occurs access booms.

Improvement points:
Adoption of new technological standards
Monitoring and management tools
Customer interaction solutions and capturing feedbacks

Financially, the project is properly planned. the resources available will be enough to complete the implementation and continue to provide the service to the population.

The MARANET Project has taught us that it is possible to establish synergistic partnerships between the public administration and private companies to provide a service of value to the population in a win-win strategy carried out in an unusual way.

This lesson would not have taken place if the implementation model were more traditional and costly, like a bidding process that would typically exclude small providers.

The availability of Internet in low-income areas is a concrete exercise in promoting Digital Citizenship, understood as the possibility of the individual being guaranteed the exercise, mediated by technology, of their civil, social and political rights.

http://www.secti.ma.gov.br/governo-expande-acesso-gratuito-a-internet-beneficiando-61-cidades/

http://www.ma.gov.br/agenciadenoticias/sala-de-imprensa/lancamento-da-expansao-da-rede-de-internet-gratuita-do-maranhao-maranet

http://www.saojosederibamar.ma.gov.br/detalhe-da-materia/info/sao-jose-de-ribamar-ganha-ponto-de-internet-gratuito/87270