Decision No. 119/QD-TTg approves the Rural Information and Communication Development Program for the period 2011-2020.

Pursuant to …;

Approving the Project on Developing Information and Communication in Rural Areas for the Period 2011-2020

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PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the Law on Organization of the Government dated December 25, 2001;

Pursuant to Resolution No. 24/2008/NQ-CP dated October 28, 2008 of the Government on the Program of Action of the Government to Implement the Resolution of the 7th Plenary Session of the 10th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam on Agriculture, Farmers, and Rural Areas;

Considering the proposal of the Minister of Information and Communications,

DECISION:

Article 1. Approving the Project on Developing Information and Communication in Rural Areas for the Period 2011-2020 with the following main contents:

I. GUIDING PRINCIPLES

1. Information and communication are both important components of economic and social infrastructure and leading economic services, therefore priority must be given to investment in development ahead of other sectors; investment in information and communication infrastructure in rural areas must be synchronized with other related infrastructure to fully utilize capacity and achieve high investment efficiency, avoiding waste.

2. The development of information and communication in rural areas must be consistent with national and local strategies and plans for economic and social development, as well as with overall information and communication development strategies and plans.

3. The development of information and communication in rural areas should meet market demand through joint resources from the State, businesses, and the people. For particularly difficult areas, remote regions, border areas, and islands, the State shall implement support for development through preferential policies on tax, capital, funding, and human resources as prescribed by law.

4. The development of information and communication in rural areas needs to be centralized, unified, synchronized, and integrated with other projects, programs, and projects related to achieve set goals efficiently while avoiding duplication, financial and time wastage.

II. OVERALL OBJECTIVES

To develop modern, synchronized information and communication infrastructure networks down to the grassroots level, contributing to the restructuring of the economy, promoting production and services, reducing poverty, improving education levels in rural areas; universalizing postal, telecommunications, and information technology services, bringing radio, television, books, and newspapers to rural residents to gradually narrow the information gap between rural and urban areas; implementing digitalization and centralized storage of all aspects of social life information on the network to facilitate quick and convenient access to information for rural residents; ensuring two-way information flow from central to grassroots levels so that rural residents can not only receive information but also contribute opinions, reflect their aspirations and promote democracy at the grassroots level.

III. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. Infrastructure

a) 100% of communes in remote, mountainous, and particularly difficult areas have public postal and telecommunications service points; the average service level for postal services is below 7,000 people per service point with a service radius under 3 km.

b) 100% of communes are connected via broadband multi-service transmission lines.

c) 100% of the territory, territorial waters, and islands under Vietnam's sovereignty are covered by central radio and television broadcasts; the radio system is provided to almost all communes.

2. Services

a) Ensuring that most rural residents can use universal postal and telecommunications services.

b) 100% of plains and midland communes and most mountainous communes receive the People's Army Newspaper and the local Party newspaper daily.

c) 100% of agencies, organizations, and enterprises operating in communes are provided with fixed-line telephone services; 100% of communes have Internet broadband services at the People's Committee offices, schools, and health stations.

d) The density of telephones in rural areas reaches 40% to 45% of the national average telephone density; the density of Internet subscriptions in rural areas reaches 30% to 40% of the national average.

3. Information Provision

a) Ensuring that most rural households can listen to and watch programs serving political information dissemination.

b) Newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and online news portals of central and local state agencies, political-social organizations provide programs and columns about agriculture, farmers, and rural areas to timely supply appropriate information according to the cultural level and customs of rural residents in different regions.

c) State agencies at district, county, department, bureau, or equivalent levels or higher have electronic information portals or websites providing comprehensive information in accordance with Article 28 of the Law on Information Technology.

4. Two-Way Grassroots Information

a) State agencies at district, county, department, bureau, or equivalent levels or higher have electronic information portals or websites providing all high-level e-government services widely to rural residents and businesses.

b) Party and government agencies from the central to commune levels have publicly available phone numbers and email boxes to receive and respond to citizens' feedback.

c) Newspapers, radio stations, television stations, and online news portals of central and local state agencies, political-social organizations have columns to receive and respond to citizens' feedback.

IV. TASKS

1. Developing Public Telecommunications

a) Objective: Accelerate the universal provision of telecommunications and Internet services to all citizens nationwide, with a focus on developing universal services in mountainous, remote, and particularly difficult areas to shorten the gap in telecommunications and Internet usage between regions, creating conditions for economic and social development and contributing to ensuring national security and defense.

b) Content:

- Supporting telecommunications companies in developing infrastructure, maintaining telecommunications services in public areas, mandatory telecommunications services nationwide; supporting other public tasks as decided by the Prime Minister.

- Supporting residents in public areas, poor households, near-poor households, policy beneficiary families, and other policy beneficiaries in using public telecommunications services and equipping terminal devices.

c) Implementation period: From 2011 to the end of 2020.

2. Construction of broadband telecommunications infrastructure to communes

a) Objective: To establish a multi-service broadband telecommunications network infrastructure reaching communes to provide information and communication services for rural residents.

b) Content: Constructing transmission lines and multi-service broadband connection points to communes using modern methods and technologies (fiber optics, satellite, wideband wireless), suitable to the geographical, economic, and social conditions of each rural region.

c) Implementation period: From 2011 to 2015.

3. Enhancing the effectiveness of operations at Postal Service - Cultural Commune Points and piloting Community Information and Communication Centers.

a) Objective: To enhance the effectiveness of operations at existing Postal Service - Cultural Commune Points.

b) Content:

- Conduct a comprehensive review and evaluation of the current operational status of Postal Service - Cultural Commune Points nationwide.

- Re-plan the Postal Service - Cultural Commune Point system towards discontinuing ineffective points, upgrading effective ones, and piloting the construction of some Community Information and Communication Centers based on providing multi-services.

c) Implementation period: From 2011 to 2015.

4. Building a specialized television channel for rural areas

a) Objective: To build a television channel with specific content about agriculture, farmers, and rural areas to serve the "New Rural Area" program.

b) Content:

Building a specialized television channel for agriculture, farmers, and rural areas with the following specific program contents:

- Propaganda on policies, laws of the Party and State regarding agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.

- Providing information and online training on agricultural science and technology, crops, livestock, weather, farming activities, natural disasters, diseases; market information on agricultural products, goods, agricultural equipment, labor markets; information on building new rural areas and developing culture in rural areas.

- Creating forums and dialogue channels for farmers to express opinions, reflect their thoughts and aspirations, and exchange production experiences.

c) Implementation period: From 2010 to 2015.

5. Developing Internet for rural communities

a) Objective: To build a model bringing Internet to rural communities to create conditions for rural residents to access the Internet to obtain information and use public administrative services to serve economic and social development, thereby gaining experience to expand to other regions.

b) Content: Building Internet network infrastructure and public Internet access points according to a model in one province; constructing specialized information portals on health, agriculture, and related fields; establishing regulations on the provision, use, and exchange of information between central and local authorities to serve agriculture, farmers, and rural areas.

c) Implementation period: From 2010 to 2015.

6. Improving computer usage skills and public Internet access in Vietnam

a) Objective: To support rural communities, remote, deep inland, and difficult areas to improve computer usage skills and public Internet access to obtain useful information from the Internet to serve production and daily life, contributing to narrowing the information gap between rural and urban areas.

b) Content:

- Equipping computers connected to the Internet at Postal Service - Cultural Commune Points, community information and communication centers, libraries, and other grassroots facilities in key rural areas across the country to enhance service capacity for residents.

- Training management staff at these facilities on computer usage and Internet access skills to guide residents.

- Promoting awareness among residents about the benefits of using computers and accessing information through the Internet.

c) Implementation period: From 2011 to the end of 2020.

V. TOTAL EXPENSES FOR IMPLEMENTATION

1. Total expenses for implementation: approximately 24,664,000,000,000 VND (twenty-four trillion, six hundred sixty-four billion VND).

2. Sources of funds

- State budget: 150 billion VND.

- Enterprises: 7,914 billion VND.

- Vietnam Universal Telecommunications Service Fund: 15,150 billion VND.

- Other sources: 1,450 billion VND.

3. Expenses and sources of funds for projects under the Rural Information and Communication Development Program for the 2011-2020 period are detailed in the Appendix attached to this Decision.

VI. SOLUTIONS

1. Strengthening information dissemination and propaganda

a) Raising awareness among cadres at all levels about the importance of rural information and communication development and implementing two-way grassroots information dissemination.

b) Popularizing the policy of prioritizing investment in rural information and communication development by the Party and State, especially the universal service policy for postal and telecommunications services in remote, border, and island areas.

c) Propagating to residents about the importance and benefits of using postal, telecommunications, Internet, information technology, broadcasting, and television services for daily life and production.

2. Perfecting mechanisms, policies, and laws related to rural information and communication development

a) Implementing guidelines for the Telecommunications Law, Postal Services Law, Radio Frequency Law, Information Technology Law, Press Law, and Publishing Law concerning rural information and communication development.

b) Building, issuing, and implementing plans for the development of postal services, telecommunications, information technology, press, and publishing for the 2011-2020 period, specifically detailing goals, directions, timelines, and solutions for rural information and communication development in each field.

c) Building, issuing, and implementing public telecommunications programs for the 2011-2020 period.

3. Perfecting organizational structures to implement policies for rural information and communication development

a) Completing and supplementing the functions of the Vietnam Universal Telecommunications Service Fund to enable the Fund to implement universal service policies for public telecommunications services, supporting enterprises and residents when implementing the digital transition of terrestrial broadcasting transmission in rural areas.

b) Continue to improve the organizational structure and functions of Vietnam Post Corporation, while developing plans to gradually separate postal operations from telecommunications to operate independently, thereby creating conditions for Vietnam Post Corporation to enhance production and business efficiency and fulfill its public postal service tasks, particularly in rural areas.

c) Study and submit to the Prime Minister options for state management of grassroots information.

4. Implement stimulus policies to invest in developing information infrastructure and popularize postal, telecommunications, and information technology services, bringing books, newspapers, radio, and television to people in rural areas.

a) Encourage and support enterprises to invest in building infrastructure and providing services in rural areas through preferential tax, capital, investment, and land policies as prescribed by relevant laws.

b) Provide direct funding for programs, projects, and initiatives aimed at developing information and communication in rural areas.

- The State will provide partial funding from the budget for the publication and distribution of certain book and newspaper titles and the establishment of community libraries in remote, mountainous, border, and extremely difficult areas.

- The State will provide partial funding from the budget for policy households and poor households in rural areas to purchase audio and video reception equipment.

- Allow enterprises to borrow preferential loans from the Vietnam Universal Service Fund to build information and communication infrastructure in rural areas including broadband transmission lines to communes, public telecommunications service access points, community information and communication centers, and the production of digital TV transmitters and receivers for the transition to digital broadcasting and transmission.

- Provide partial funding from the Vietnam Universal Service Fund to telecommunications enterprises and households to popularize telecommunications services in public welfare areas through bidding, ordering, and planning assignments.

- Provide partial funding from the Vietnam Universal Service Fund to enterprises providing terrestrial television transmission and broadcasting services to deploy digital transmitters to broadcast essential political information channels in remote, border, and extremely difficult areas.

c) Implement auctions for the use of radio frequencies and use part of the revenue from these auctions to support the implementation of the digital television plan and provide listening and viewing devices to people in rural areas.

d) Promote socialization in investment to mobilize all resources of society to build information and communication infrastructure in rural areas.

đ) Mobilize and utilize funds from governments and non-governmental organizations to implement information and communication development projects in rural areas.

5. Strengthen the production and supply of information content about agriculture, farmers, and rural areas to the public based on diversifying information methods, increasing special sections and programs, and broadcasting time on mass media outlets.

6. Urgently implement two-way information dissemination from central to local levels so that the public can receive and reflect information in diverse and convenient ways. Focus on direct and online information forms such as accessing electronic information portals, websites; live dialogues and responses via telephone, voicemail, television, and the Internet.

7. Enhance human resource training to develop information and communication in rural areas, with particular attention to young people, students, civil servants, and grassroots organization members. Organize training sessions and guidance on service usage for grassroots managers and the public.

8. Closely coordinate with central and local associations and professional organizations to implement programs, projects, and initiatives aimed at developing information and communication in rural areas.

9. Vigorously research, invest in, and apply new technologies in the field of information and communication suitable for rural economic and social conditions.

10. Strengthen international cooperation to learn management experiences and apply models of rural information and communication development from other countries.

VII. IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

The Ministry of Information and Communications shall be responsible before the Government for state management of basic information, including the following responsibilities:

a) Organize the implementation, monitoring, and urging of ministries, sectors, localities, enterprises, and related units to carry out the Project; compile and report to the Prime Minister on the progress and results of the Project's implementation; propose adjustments to objectives and solutions to align with economic, social, and technological conditions during each phase of the Project's implementation.

b) Draft, amend, and submit to the Prime Minister for approval Decision No. 191/2004/QĐ-TTg and Decision No. 186/2007/QĐ-TTg on the functions, tasks, and scope of activities of the Vietnam Universal Service Fund; the Universal Telecommunications Program for the period 2011-2020; state management options for grassroots information; and the public broadcasting and television project.

c) Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to propose authorities to consider and issue financial mechanisms and policies for implementing the Project.

d) Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to establish and implement specialized television channels about agriculture, farmers, and rural areas.

đ) Direct the expansion of radio and television broadcast coverage according to the Radio and Television Transmission and Broadcasting Plan up to 2020 approved by the Prime Minister to provide radio and television programs to all people in rural areas.

e) Direct the promotion of propaganda to raise awareness of the importance of developing information and communication, popularizing knowledge and services for the public; and promoting the implementation of the Project.

2. Ministry of Planning and Investment

a) Take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Finance in mobilizing funds for the development of information and communication in rural areas.

b) Chair and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to allocate annual state budget funds for implementing projects and programs to develop information and communication in rural areas.

3. Ministry of Finance

a) Chair and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications to establish and guide financial mechanisms and regulations for implementing the Rural Information and Communication Development Project.

b) Chair and coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment to allocate annual regular expenses from the state budget for implementing the project within the budgets of ministries and central agencies.

4. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

a) Chair and coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications to build an electronic portal on agriculture, farmers, and rural areas within the component of the Community Internet Development Project.

b) Coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications to establish and maintain specialized television channels on agriculture, farmers, and rural areas.

c) Coordinate with mass media organizations to produce informational programs on agriculture, farmers, and rural areas.

5. Provincial People's Committees under the Central Government

a) Take the initiative and coordinate with relevant ministries and sectors to direct agencies and enterprises to develop information and communication in rural areas at the local level.

Support units and enterprises in building information and communication infrastructure at the local level; issue land use right certificates for Postal and Cultural Stations, public postal and telecommunications service points.

Provide funding support to supply local newspapers and other suitable books and periodicals for community libraries at the local level.

Support Vietnam Post Corporation and Vietnam Universal Service Fund in piloting the construction of some Community Information Centers at the local level.

Direct the development and approval of technical infrastructure planning for passive telecommunication facilities in the area, taking into account the specific economic and social development levels and geographical conditions of rural regions.

6. Telecommunications and postal enterprises

a) Proactively develop and implement plans for rural information and communication development according to approved master plans, projects, and programs.

b) Fulfill universal service obligations as prescribed by the State in terms of financial contributions and infrastructure and service development.

c) Vietnam Post Corporation develops and implements a plan to enhance the effectiveness of operations at Postal and Cultural Stations, combining pilot construction of Community Information Centers.

Article 2. This Decision shall take effect from the date of signing.

Article 3. Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of government-affiliated agencies, Chairmen of provincial People's Committees under the Central Government, Chairmen of Management Boards, General Directors (Directors) of postal and telecommunications enterprises, radio and television stations are responsible for enforcing this Decision./.