COMMUNICATIONS MINISTRY TO ENSURE RM2.55 BLN ALLOCATION WILL HAVE FAR-REACHING IMPACT -TEO

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Communications will mobilize all its agencies to ensure that the RM2.55 billion allocation it received under the national budget for next year is fully utilized to have a far-reaching impact for the benefit of the country.

Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching said that a key focus of this allocation will be to improve the quality and reach of internet connectivity nationwide, especially in higher education institutions (IPT), schools, and rural areas.

She said that the ministry will also collaborate with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to improve internet access on university campuses with an allocation of RM120 million.

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“In addition, RM100 million will be spent to improve internet coverage in schools, while RM800 million will be allocated for the Point of Presence (PoP) project to provide residents in rural areas with high-quality fibre-optic access.

“For the creative industry, the ministry will continue to work with FINAS and MyCreative Ventures to empower creative industry players and, at the same time, focus on capacity building to produce professionals who do not have to rely on government funding,” Teo said in an interview with Bernama Radio on the topic ‘Budget 2025: Enhancing the People’s Living Standards’, today.

Teo said the huge allocation received for next year represents a significant responsibility for the ministry to ensure that the people benefit from and feel the impact of the allocation.

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“The ministry has several agencies, such as the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) which manages Internet-related matters, the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia (FINAS) which handles film development, and MyCreative Ventures Sdn Bhd, which supports the creative industry.

“We also have agencies like Bernama (the Malaysian National News Agency), RTM (the Malaysian Broadcasting Department), JaPen (the Department of Information), and CyberSecurity Malaysia.

“… so, the ministry will collaborate with all these agencies to ensure that we get the maximum value from the allocation that we received. This is our contribution to society so that the people will feel the impact,” she added.

On Oct 18, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the Minister of Finance, tabled the 2025  Budget with a total allocation of RM421 billion, which includes RM335 billion for operating expenditure and RM86 billion for development expenditure.

-- BERNAMA