Proposed Bill aims to transform digital space

[Courtesy]

Users of telecommunication services – especially those in rural and marginalised areas – stand to gain the most should Parliament pass the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2019 which, among other things, proposes to review the way money paid to the Universal Service Fund will be spent in future.

Considering how Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the way many people work in Kenya – and across the globe – the use of Information and Communication Technology has become more prevalent. Whereas workers in urban centres are increasingly getting used to this new way of doing business, it is essential to ensure that their counterparts – and families – in rural areas are not left behind. The aim of the proposed amendments in the Kenya Information and Communications (Amendment) Bill, 2019 is not only to reduce digital inequality between urban and rural areas, but also to improve the quality of telecommunication services that all Kenyans are entitled to.