Executive Yuan approves digital infrastructure plan

By Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter





The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a multibillion-dollar plan to build a digital infrastructure nationwide and develop the digital economy, in a bid to bolster the annual output of the digital sector to NT$6.5 trillion (US$203.6 billion) by 2025.

The government plans to launch the nine-year “DIGI-plus” program next year to build a digital infrastructure, create an innovation-friendly environment for the digital industry and increase Internet usage penetration to secure people’s right to Internet access, Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.

The government’s goal is to achieve a download speed of 1 terabit per second (Tbps) for fixed-line broadband services by 2020 and 2Tbps by 2025, Executive Yuan Board of Science and Technology Executive Secretary Kuo Yau-hwang (郭耀煌) said.

To ensure the rights of economically disadvantaged people to access the Internet, they will be provided with broadband services with download speeds of 10 megabits per second (Mbps) by 2020 and 25Mbps by 2025.

The program is aimed at raising the overall usage rate of digital services from 25.8 percent to 80 percent by 2025 to boost the nation’s technology readiness to the top six in the world.

People have to use various digitized services in all aspects of daily life, such as education, medical services, transportation, leisure and dining, to be qualified as a user of digital services, Kuo said.

The program is to ensure that people have equal access to information and communications technology to bridge the digital divide amid the exponential growth of information technology, while increased penetration and Internet usage rates can help narrow the regional development gap, Kuo said.

“Taiwan’s information and communications technology industry has a strong global presence and is a major provider for consumers worldwide, but it is a relatively small player in improving the livelihood of Taiwanese,” Kuo said. “Information and communications infrastructure and innovations have to be integrated into regional development to narrow gaps and improve people’s lives.”

The DIGI plus program will be allocated NT$11 billion next year and an annual budget of NT$20 billion thereafter, Minister without Portfolio Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said.

“[The budget] exhibits a conceptual shift. We have understood infrastructure solely as physical constructions, such as roads and bridges, but Premier Lin Chuan (林全) has said that ‘soft infrastructure’ has to be taken into account to build a digital nation,” Wu said.

Hsu added that Lin has asked the Cabinet to create an open government by making public government data and broadening public participation with online and face-to-face engagement platforms.

A National Development Council initiative allows Internet users to petition the government over public issues and legislation via an online platform, as a government agency is obliged to respond to an online petition endorsed by more than 5,000 Internet users, an example of open government that has led to the passing of several pieces of legislation, such as the approval of immunotherapy cancer treatment by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Minister without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) said.

To engage the public, the Cabinet will be working on fostering public communication professionals in directing public hearings and making government data more easily understandable, Tang said.

In other news, the Cabinet also passed a draft amendment to the HIV Infection Control and Patient Rights Protection Act (人類免疫缺乏病毒傳染防治及感染者權益保障條例) that would allow individuals with HIV to donate their organs to other people with HIV.

The proposal has to be approved by the Legislative Yuan.

Additional reporting by CNA