Govt to boost partnership on rural ICT development<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
In a world that is increasingly connected, even rural farmers can
\nmake use of the Internet to broaden their access to global
\nmarkets.<\/p>\n
Suhar, a 28-year-old bean farmer from Bojonegoro, East Java,
\nhas enjoyed increased orders as a result of posting his product
\nprofile on the Internet. He did this when a community learning
\ncenter, equipped with computers and Internet, was set up in his
\nvillage.<\/p>\n
Because of the tangible benefits that rural populations
\nderive from information and communication technology (ICT), the
\ngovernment is planning to build up to 100 more telecenters next
\nyear.<\/p>\n
\"We hope to build 50 more telecenters, and upgrade some 50
\nvillages under the USO (universal service obligation) program,
\nwith Internet connections next year,\" Partnerships for E-
\nProsperity for the Poor (PE-PP) national project manager Zulfikar
\nM. Rachman said on the sidelines of a national ICT seminar on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
A Telecenter is an information and community development
\ncenter using Internet connections as a basis. Local communities
\ncan enjoy access to information in a center equipped with
\ncomputers, printers and scanners.<\/p>\n
The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has run
\nthe PE-PP program with the assistance of the United Nations
\nDevelopment Program (UNDP) since 2004.<\/p>\n
The UNDP has granted US$1 million for a five-year program that
\nis expected to boost ICT penetration throughout the country.<\/p>\n
According to data from the International Telecommunications
\nUnion (ITU), the telephone penetration rate in Indonesia stands
\nat 8 percent on average for both fixed lines and cellular phones,
\nwhile the computer penetration rate is about 4 percent.<\/p>\n
Currently, six telecenters have been set up in villages in
\nEast Java, Central Java, South East Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi,
\nGorontalo and Papua.<\/p>\n
PE-PP also signed an agreement at Wednesday's seminar with
\ntelecommunications infrastructure developer PT Pasifik Satelit
\nNusantara (PSN) to develop more of the centers.<\/p>\n
Each center will require Rp 100 million (about $10,000) to Rp
\n150 million for hardware, and another Rp 300 million for a year
\nof community development assistance.<\/p>\n
The assistance aims to optimize the use of information as well
\nas creating local community-participatory programs that utilize
\nthe telecenters.<\/p>\n
Separately, Microsoft Indonesia has since 2003 worked together
\nwith non-governmental organizations to develop a similar program
\nby setting up Community Training and Learning Centers (CLTCs).<\/p>\n
As of today, there are 28 CLTCs nationwide, giving 80,000
\nrural villagers access to the Internet as well as providing basic
\ncomputer training for 14,000 people.<\/p>\n
The program is part of Microsoft's global initiative to
\nprovide ICT access to rural communities.<\/p>\n
The company said that it would focus on giving ICT access to
\nfarmers next year, by setting up eight to 10 more CLTCs.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-boost-partnership-on-rural-ict-development-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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