Govt will not subsidise high-speed internet in areas with low user demand: Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: The government does not intend to use the people's money to subsidise the development of high-speed Internet in rural areas with low user demand, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said.
"If the demand for an Internet upgrade in a particular area, including a rural area, is low, then the economy will not balance, it's not a real business model," the Prime Minister said during the TN50's e-Entrepreneur Dialogue here today.
Present were International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Chief Executive Officer Datuk Yasmin Mahmood today.
Najib said instead, high-speed Internet would only be extended to areas with high demand.
The government will always take into account the demand and supply element in improving high-speed Internet throughout the country, he said, adding that, "But I believe the Internet access gap will be bridged from time to time."
Commenting on the challenges in combating cyber crime, the Prime Minister said it was not only happening in Malaysia, but also throughout the world.
"I was told that cyber crime is one of the fastest crime ever right now. What has been and is being done by the government through the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission is in terms of technical aspects to deal with cyber crime.
"We also need to have appropriate and pertinent laws to deal with the latest situation, including in terms of establishing evidence," he said.
Besides these efforts, Najib said increased consumer awareness on the online business industry was also needed to curb cyber crime.
"We cannot prevent technology (progress). That will lead us backward. What we can do is building a 'fence' to deal with the latest situation," he added. — Bernama