Equal access to communications technologies necessary throughout Russia - Medvedev
GORKI. Jan 26 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stressed the importance of creating a single information space across of all of Russia and securing citizens' equal access to modern communications technologies.
"One of our standing goals is the elimination of digital inequality and creation of a single information space for the country. We are connecting small settlements and remote regions to fixed internet so that our citizens can enjoy all the opportunities that modern communication technologies now afford for education, medicine, and for recreation," Medvedev said in a meeting on measures aimed at expanding access to communications services in Russia.
The transition to digitization is a global trend, the prime minister said.
"People's way of life is changing, new industries are emerging, new markets, new managerial models. Certainly, it is important that our country assume a worthy place in this process. Thus it is important that infrastructure for data transfer and communications infrastructure overall be developed," Medvedev said.
Over the past three years, over 5,000 small populated localities have been provided with modern communications technologies, the prime minister said.
"This work needs to continue, especially in remote and border regions. This year, we have allocated 12.5 billion rubles from the budget towards these ends," Medvedev said.
It is also imperative to finish connecting federal and municipal organizations all over the country to broadband internet, he said. In the previous year, roughly 2 billion rubles were spent on this. As a result, over 3,000 connection points were created, Medvedev said.