Selangor mulls Internet TV for rural homes

The Selangor government yesterday discussed the possibility of providing Internet protocol television (IPTV) technology to rural homes in a bid to get the state's message to the rural areas.

Presenting this idea at the Selangor 2012 Budget Dialogue, executive councillor Rodziah Ismail said by allocating RM35 million from next year's budget, the government could broadcast state-owned Internet television TV Selangor beyond its current urban reach.

“We have TV Selangor, but much of the audience is from overseas. Why don't we install (IPTV) encoders so that (TV Selangor) can be shared with the community through television?

“The figure RM35 million was mooted by the (Selangor) speaker (Teng Chang Khim) and we propose that it be disbursed in stages,” Rodziah said when presenting the outcome of a session on information and communication technology (ICT).

State-owned TV Selangor broadcasts local and national news and provides live streaming of the state assembly sittings.

Speaking to Malaysiakini after the ICT session in Subang Jaya, Rodziah said at present 60 percent of the viewers of TV Selangor are overseas residents, while the rest come from urban areas in the state.

“The RM35 million is to provide encoders for the rural areas, but those who can afford will be encouraged to buy these themselves,” she said.

Rural broadband rollout

However, IPTV cannot work without access to the Internet and therefore it was proposed that the government also allocates RM10 million of its 2012 budget to roll out broadband access for the rural areas.

“We are now spending RM12 million on free water. Internet access is a fourth utility, a basic need that is demanded by the people for better living, so why shouldn't we spend on this?” Rodziah said.

By rolling out wireless broadband into the rural areas, the government could also capitalise on the rise in the use of smart phones by residents there.

Three models of funding were proposed: the state government foots the whole bill, a private funding initiative is undertaken, or that this is done through government-linked companies and local councils.

“A local council can, for example, set aside portions from assessment fees collected as a fund for this venture, which can also encourage people to pay their assessments for the sake of free Wi-Fi,” Rodziah said.

Besides the ICT session, the budget talks included parallel sessions on the quality of life index, human capital, household income generation and green technology.

The outcome of these sessions is collated into reports that will be taken into consideration when the allocations under the Selangor 2011 Budget are made.

The Selangor government holds dialogue sessions on the budget in June and July each year to seek input from local councils, industry leaders and village chiefs for the budget, which is tabled in November. - Malaysiakini