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S$8m digital inclusion fund to help poor get access to Internet

SINGAPORE — Low-income households are set to get more help to access the Internet so that they can also enjoy the benefits that come with the advances in digital technology, under a new S$8 million Digital Inclusion Fund.

SINGAPORE — Low-income households are set to get more help to access the Internet so that they can also enjoy the benefits that come with the advances in digital technology, under a new S$8 million Digital Inclusion Fund.

Targeting about 6,000 low-income households without school-going children — as households with school-going children receive assistance on this front through another scheme — the fund will be ready for application from the second half of this year.

This was among the announcements made by Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim at the ministry’s Workplan Seminar yesterday. He also announced that the Government will be taking the lead in designing and commissioning a new TV Audience Measurement (TAM) system to better understand the preferences of the local audience.

Describing the new Digital Inclusion Fund, Dr Yaacob said the Internet today is fast becoming a utility for individuals, households and organisations, adding that the Government has been working to “ensure no segment of the community is excluded from the benefits that the Internet can bring”.

The fund will be set up using government funds and penalty monies collected from telecom licensees since 2011, with the Government to top up if necessary. It will provide support in two areas. First, it will help raise the adoption of Internet access among low-income households, which will pave the way for the adoption of broadband-based usage and applications such as surfing for information, IP telephony, home monitoring and security and home emergency alert system. Second, it will help voluntary welfare organisations manage the well-being of their beneficiaries more efficiently through the use of technology.

The Government will also expand the coverage of the NEU PC Plus programme, which provides subsidies to students from low-income households to own a computer or pay for broadband subscriptions or both.

The overall qualifying income cap will be raised from S$2,700 to S$3,000 and the per capita income cap from S$700 to S$800 respectively. These changes will take effect in June. The programme, which started in November 2006, has benefited more than 17,000 low-income households as at March 31. It also benefits those with disabilities.

Meanwhile, the Media Development Authority (MDA) will be working with local broadcasters to develop the specifications of what to measure under the new TAM system. It will call a tender for collecting and measuring data for new system by the third quarter of this year, with the aim of carrying out a trial next year and implementing it by 2016.

The MDA noted in a statement that “efforts to build strong local content that can engage Singaporeans can no longer rely on traditional TV alone”. There is a need for a national database that effectively captures media consumption across all media platforms via which Singaporeans access TV content, including online and mobile, the authority said.

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