Gov't to spend €1 bln on hi-speed internet

Open consultations regarding blank spots on Poland's map of broadband internet access will be launched on March 16, Minister of Administration and Digitization Andrzej Halicki informed. The ministry wants to spend some €1 billion on providing Poles with internet of at least 30 Mb/s. The funds come from the "Digital Poland" operational program, financed from the EU budget. "We will verify every address, every home," the minister said. The government wants to gather data through special institutions, such as the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE) or the Institute of Communication, but it encourages Poles to report any inconvenience regarding internet access they encounter. The ministry wants firms to submit information about any investment plans related to building NGA (Next-generation access) network, in order to exclude them from the map.