The following speeches were delivered in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature today by DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Finance, Ashor Sarupen MPL and DA Gauteng Chief Whip, Mike Moriarty MPL, during a debate on Gauteng’s Broadband Network strategy.
Ashor Sarupen MPL
“Expanding broadband connectivity will see Gauteng’s economy grow”
• An increase of 10% in broadband penetration has the potential to increase GDP per capita growth by 0.9-1.5%;
• Benefits from leveraging broadband include growing the knowledge and information economy, stimulating the ICT economy and bridging the digital divide;
• The current plans for connectivity and access, as well as the current roll out of planned services, does not come near to fulfilling the potential that broadband has to offer the province;
• Other promised projects by the ANC in Gauteng, including telemedicine, e-government and e-health, have barely gotten off the ground, and apart from electronic school enrolment, we have not seen any significant pilot projects, let alone far-reaching, game changing projects that the provincial government should be delivering.
The full speech can be obtained here.
Mike Moriarty MPL
“ANC Gauteng lagging behind on broadband roll-out”
• The Gauteng Broadband Network (GBN) and the underlying strategy should be evaluated against a meaningful standard;
• The provincial government should partner with others; state departments and the private sector;
• In 2016 the DA-run Western Cape had already connected over 1022 sites through its broadband project;
• Moreover, the Western Cape’s broadband infrastructure now provides the foundation for other ICT-based initiatives such as the e-Learning portal, and other ICT connectivity in their schools;
The full speech can be obtained here.