Multimedia Commission, MCMC is taking to task the service provider who is responsible to deliver basic telephony and internet service to rural areas where main stream operators will not commercially viable.

Without revealing the contractor ( we believe it could be Teras Millenium Sdn Bhd which published on its website being awarded by MCMC for Phase 2, to expand cellular coverage in the areas listed below), the agency has issued a statement listing the districts affected by this temporary disruption and they are pretty long. 4 states including, Perak, Kelantan, Sabah and Kedah will be experiencing poor to no connection and over 20 districts are reported to be involved. Under the Universal Service Programme,  the main objective is to provide collective and individual access to basic telephony and Internet services throughout the country. Due to most service providers focus on commercially lucrative areas, this tend to created a gap between the “haves” in urban areas and “have-nots” in rural areas.  Often referred as Digital Divide, this gap in communication access have social ramifications if not addressed properly at national level.

USP initiatives are implemented in underserved areas and underserved group within the community, MCMC collects funds from the private sector to bridge this gap and invests them in these unprofitable rural areas. However it seems the supplier to manage this programme has failed miserably, leaving the agency no choice but to act upon the complaints.

This full list of the districts is listed here.