Govt to announce cuts in Internet rates

Surabaya, E Java (ANTARA News) - Informatics and Communications Minister Muhammad Nuh said his ministry was still discussing the government's plan to cut Internet rates expected to be announced next month. 

The minister made the remarks after signing the plaque of a Muhammadiyah Entrepreneur Islamic Boarding school building here on Saturday. 

"I have made public sometime in the past that the government would issue a policy on the Internet tariff cuts. But it is now still under discussion. We hope that the cuts would be announced in April," the minister said. 

He said it could be noticed the Internet rates had been going down from year to year but the government wanted a bigger cut so that the people could have wider access to the Internet. 

"I could not yet assure the percentage of the the cuts. But for sure, we are now studying it by analyzing the Internet cost structure," he said. 

He said that the government had the responsibility to lower Internet tariffs but policies on the services were in the hands of the Internet service providers (ISP) and network providers. 

"We have to sit together to discuss what could be lowered so the Internet rates would be within the financial reach of the people," Nuh said.