Free Communication Cost Support Program for the Digitally Disadvantaged Will Begin Next Month
The government is pursuing a policy to fully support communication costs for the digitally disadvantaged as part of President Lee Jae-myung's communication pledge implementation.
According to a report by Edaily on the 26th, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Post plan to start special rate plans and full support programs next month in collaboration with the three major mobile carriers, budget phone providers, and local governments.
This program will operate in a manner where selected digitally disadvantaged individuals, identified through a demand survey conducted by local governments, can sign up for special budget phone plans at nearby post offices, and the local government will then fully cover the communication costs.
The government aims to launch the program as early as next month; however, the timeline may be somewhat delayed because the demand surveys by local governments have not yet fully progressed.
The Government's Active Steps to Ensure Basic Communication Rights for Vulnerable Groups
Considering the limited budget, the government plans to first focus on supporting elderly individuals living alone, gradually expanding the target group over time.
This full communication cost support is expected to become the first implementation of President Lee Jae-myung's promise to alleviate the burden of information and communication costs, viewing communication as a basic right.
The significance of this program lies in the government's initiative to directly promote universal communication services. Previously, there was a private donation case where YouTuber Tsuyang collaborated with the Korea Mobile Distribution Association (KMDA) to support the communication costs of vulnerable elderly individuals, such as those living alone, recommended by the counties of Goesan and Dangjin.
The Ministry of Science and ICT is encouraging budget phone providers to launch special plans for the digitally disadvantaged, and it plans to request the three major carriers to lower wholesale prices.
Wholesale prices are the costs budget phone providers pay to use the networks of telecommunications companies. Lowering these prices will enable the provision of cheaper special plans for the digitally disadvantaged.
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