On 19 September 2010, the Broadband Commission for Digital Development released its recommendations for action at a high-level meeting held before the UN General Assembly in New York. The Commission's report was received by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The Commission challenges world leaders to ensure that half the world's population has broadband access by 2015.
'The Commission stressed that the right to a well-functioning, affordable broadband connection should be every citizen's basic right', said member of the Broadband Commission, Minister of Communications Suvi Lindén.
Finland was the first country in the world to define a 1-Mbit Internet connection as a universal service that must be available to everyone.
The role of spectrum policy was also emphasised in a number of speeches delivered at the Broadband Commission's meeting. Digitalisation of the television network should be sped up, and the use of spectrum made more efficient. This enables allocating new frequencies to mobile technologies.
'It was delightful to see that Finland's spectrum guidelines are valued, and that our communications policy serves as a model globally', Ms Lindén said.
'The Broadband Commission is only at the beginning of its work, and the challenge is enormous. However, we now have strong support by the UN Secretary-General for further work, and I believe that communications technology will have a key role to play in the future when it comes to achieving central targets of the UN's Millennium Development Goals: eradicating poverty, improving health care and education in the developing countries,' said Ms Lindén.
Further information: Ms Anna Anttinen, Special Adviser to the Minister of Communications, tel. +358 9 160 28324, Markku Tuhkanen, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 9 160 28391, +358 40 529 0643
The outcome report of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development
http://www.broadbandcommission.org/report1.pdf
