Perlis and Kedah rural folks get connected today

Today for the first time more than 2,000 rural folks from three villages in Perlis and Kedah will have their own window to the world via five computers that are linked with Internet access installed in their villages. In its effort to regulate the industry, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) would help fund the provision of basic telephony needs in semi-rural areas in the country. For that purpose, it has set aside RM90 million this year but service providers via a bidding process will support the actual connectivity. So far, 10 sites in Gerik and Manjung, Perak, one site each in Pakan, Sarawak, and Kinabatangan, Sabah, ahve been wired up and folks have access to the Internet. More sites will be connected in the coming months under the Commission's programme known as the Community Communications Development Programme (CCDP). "From our experience in Gerik, we have seen that people are anxious and responsive to the services brought to them. It is something we, the MCMC, are doing for the semi-rural areas in Malaysia. "Until the service is made available, the kampung people could not comprehend the value of these services. Now that it is available they are aware of how useful it can be," MCMC chairman Tan Sri Nuraizah Abdul Hamid said during an interview. Apart from computers, two payphones are also installed at ta central location known as Kedai.Kom. An individual identified by the respective state Economic Planning Unit, who also successfully runs a business, is given the task of managing the Kedai.Kom. The 10 sites are part of Kampung Lawin in Gerik and Kampung Matang Acheh in Manjung, Perak, where a total population of close to 10,000 now have access to telephone and computers. "In Pakan, about 50 families in longhouses were connected and to implement the programme, the MCMC had to install electrical generators for the facilities to be lighted up. "Prior to the connectivity, the only access to the outside world via telephony was a payphone that was 16km in a nearby town," Nuraizah said. Maxis Communications Bhd undertook the initial roll-out for both Pakan and Kinabatangan while Time dotCom Bhd for some sites in Perak, Kedah and Perlis. Other operators will be roped in to help as more sites are connected. The CCDP is an initiative by the MCMC but the Commission also manages the Universal Service Provision (USP) fun, where licensed communications and multimedia companies have to contribute a portion of their net profits each year towards the fund and so far RM400 million has been collected. These monies are used for the provision of telephony to underserved areas (any area which is 20% underserved than the national average) and communities (such as disabled, women, youth and indigenous people). Last year, the MCMC hasd announced that it would put aside RM30 million as seed capital for the USP fund. However, due to legal technicalities the process could not go through and as such the MCMC has pledged the same RM30 million towards the CCDP. With that RM30 million and an additional RM60 million set aside this year, the CCDP has a total of RM90 million now. Then three initial areas (Julau, Kinabatangan and Yan in Kedah) were designated to be funded by the USP. Over 80 sites were also earmarked for develpment using the USP fund, but due to several reasons the implementation of the USP has been rather slow. Asked on the RM400 million not spent, Nuraizah said: "There are other problems which have delayed the takeoff. We are facing problems working out the arrangements with service providers. We are also constrained by our regulations that we have dveloped and will have to make the revisions next year." But things should roll out in the coming months, she said. To Nuraizah, it is a notion out there that kampung folks know little about the developments in the information technology era. From her experience, she said many were aware but there was no access earlier. There was a general willingness to learn and training is provided as part of the CCDP. The highest number of users remains teenagers but even the old are willing to try out on the computers. The service providers are also involved in creating a web page for each of the village that service is being provided. The idea of the web page is to let the outside work now of the demographics of the village and it will eventually serve as a marketing and communication tool for people wanting to explore and conduct business activities not just within Malaysia but globally too. Apart from the 10 locations in Perak that has been linked with the facilities, the MCMC has plans to provide services to a further 44 locations and more villages in Kedah and Perlis will be connected. And hopefully, Pahang will be the next target for rural telephony penetration. Incidentally, the MCMC has established an access forum to offer an insight into what it is doing as far as access is concerned. Previously, it had helped in the formation of consumer and content forums.