Special measures for regional development

Completion stages: 1 = Planning stage, 2 = In progress, 3 = Completed

Measures	Responsibility	Timetable	Details of progress	Contact person	Completion stage
39. Regional councils and municipalities will jointly prepare a broadband strategy for their region and promote its implementation. The strategy will be based on estimates of future demand and market conditions in each municipality. These strategies will act as a tool to assist decision-making on public funding and other matters requiring public sector measures. The strategies must also identify the main user segments in relation to service provision.	Regional councils , municipalities	September 30, 2004	- Preparation of regional strategies.	Regional council directors	3
40. National guidelines will be drawn up for regional councils and municipalities on the use of public funding for projects to build telecommunications infrastructure where the provision of connections does not otherwise occur for commercial reasons. In relation to the use of public funds, the guidelines must follow the principles that accord with European Commission guidance. Public funding will entail competitive tendering and will target network provision and the pricing of network operator services (not prices to the final customer). The funding conditions will guarantee that any operator receiving a subsidy has a duty to make his network available to a competitor under moderate and equitable terms.	Ministry of the Interior , Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Office of Free Competition, Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority, Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities	Continuing	- The guidelines on public funding issued by the Ministry of the Interior have been applied in financing decisions made by regions and municipalities. In individual problem cases, the funding authorities have provided detailed advice on the use of public funding.	Ministry of the Interior: Pekka Urjanhemo (chair), Harri Martikainen (secretary), Tuula Manelius Ministry of Trade and Industry: Auli Korhonen Ministry of Transport and Communications: Kari Ojala Office of Free Competition: Liisa Lundelin-Nuortio Finnish Communications Regulatory Authority: Liisa Leinonen Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities: Simo Tanner	3
41. More broadband connections will be provided for schools. The aim is to ensure that in terms of connection and operating costs all schools have access to reasonably priced and efficient telecommunications connections.	Ministry of Education	2004 - 2008	Support is being given for the acquisition of broadband connections. The aim is that all educational establishments will have broadband connections, and the recommended speed for these is at least 8 Mbit/s. Applications for broadband grants were invited in both spring and autumn 2004. In autumn 2004, 19% of comprehensive schools and 2% of vocational institutions had no broadband connections. Another application round will be arranged for broadband grants on October 17-31, 2005, targeted at general education institutions.	Ministry of Education: Markku Suvanen National Board of Education: Ella Kiesi	2
42. More broadband connections will be provided for libraries. The aim is to ensure that in terms of connection and operating costs all libraries have access to reasonably priced and efficient telecommunications connections.	Ministry of Education	2004 - 2008	Support is being given for the acquisition of high-speed telecommunications connections and customer terminals for libraries in rural and sparsely populated areas. The aim is to support ‘grouped libraries’. All the libraries in an area should have up-to-date customer terminals, high-speed telecommunications connections and high-quality information systems. Recommendation: one customer terminal per 1,000 inhabitants.	Kirsti Kekki	2
43. Publicly available, regional broadband service points will be equipped in stages with customer terminals (schools, libraries, Citizens’ Offices, municipal and government agencies), and their use will be free of charge.	Ministry of Education, Ministry of the Interior, municipalities	December 31, 2005 (libraries) December 31, 2007	In most rural municipalities, libraries are the only places where public services electronic transactions can be made. In making such transactions, use can be made of a core area of library competence: information acquisition. Voluntarily ‘grouped libraries’ will be supported in accordance with the quality recommendation given in the Library Policy Programme 2001-2004: one customer terminal per 1,000 inhabitants.	Ministry of Education: Kirsti Kekki Ministry of the Interior: Pekka Urjanheimo	2