– The last 3 percent will be demanding, but we will do our part to facilitate that this goal is reached as quickly as possible, writes State Secretary Gunn Karin Gjul in the Ministry of Digitalization and Administration in an email to NTB.
In the Hurdal platform from 2021, the government promised to “ensure that all households where permanent residents live must have access to high-speed broadband by 2025”.
When NTB now contacts the ministry, they have added a word. The aim is to ensure this by the end of 2025.
– The government’s aim is for all households to have this offer by the end of 2025, says Gjul.
An increase of three percent
The State Secretary emphasizes that almost everyone in Norway has access to fast internet.
– Nkom’s last coverage survey from November 2023, showed that a total of 97 percent of Norwegian households now have a broadband offer with a download speed of 100 megabits per second or more. This was an increase of 3 percentage points from 2022, and the increase was particularly large in sparsely populated areas, she says.
Nkom has also made one kart which shows broadband access throughout the country.
Legislative change on the way
In the Hurdal platform, the government also announced that it will make access to high-capacity internet a right on an equal footing with electricity. The government has not introduced this.
– Broadband is primarily developed on a commercial basis, in addition those who lack broadband can receive support through the state’s subsidy scheme for broadband development, says Gjul.
Instead of enshrining rights to internet access, the government has proposed a delivery obligation in the new ekom Act, which is now being considered in the Storting.
– That is, an opportunity to order the provider to deliver broadband where it is not delivered in any other way. The purpose is to ensure that everyone gets an offer of access to functional internet throughout the country. This authority can be used if other measures do not work, says the state secretary.
#percent #lack #broadband
2024-07-18 03:37:22
