ADVERTISEMENT

Mexico's AMLO Talks Internet With Zuckerberg Via Video Chat

Mexico's AMLO Talks Internet With Zuckerberg Via Video Chat

(Bloomberg) -- Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he spoke with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg today about fulfilling a commitment to broaden internet access, and in a Twitter post, said there’s no need to make international visits given modern technology.

“There’s no need to travel abroad frequently, now we can communicate through video conference,” Lopez Obrador said.

In a video of his remarks to Zuckerberg, Lopez Obrador asks if the Facebook founder would be interested in partnering to improve connectivity in Mexico, mainly in rural and remote areas.

AMLO, as he’s known, has made austerity and domestic policy his main priorities in his first half year in office, to the point where he announced early this month he wouldn’t make the trip to Osaka for the Group of 20 leaders’ meeting on June 28-29. In fact, he hasn’t left the country in almost two years.

Lopez Obrador talks frequently about rooting out corruption, eliminating government graft and cutting extravagant expenses. To that end he decided to sell the presidential airplane and when he travels domestically, he flies commercial.

To contact the reporter on this story: Dale Quinn in Mexico City at dquinn40@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ney Hayashi at ncruz4@bloomberg.net

©2019 Bloomberg L.P.