KUALA LUMPUR: Efforts to ensure every Malaysian has Internet access are estimated to be about halfway to its goal, said Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

The Information, Communications and Culture Minister said after a year of implementation, his ministry is about 52% on its way towards achieving the goals set under the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) Content Communication and Infrastructure (CCI).

"We can already see how the people are benefiting from the initiatives.

"To date, over 1,400 villages have Kampung Tanpa Wayar (Wireless Villages) facilities, and we have more than 250 Community Broadband Centres and 99 Community Broadband Libraries nationwide.

"Entry-point projects (EPP) like Get Malaysian Business Online and EPP My Creative Content have helped many start businesses which are now running well," he said after chairing a NKEA-CCI working committee meeting at Angkasapuri here Thursday.

Other EPP projects include establishing e-Learning for students and workers, as well as e-Healthcare and e-Government online services.

He also said more than 70% of the RM200mil in the Industry Creative Fund has been used to help improve the quality of local creative productions.

The minister added that this was a busy year for the committee, with a few projects running concurrently and more in the pipelines, to turn Malaysia into a regional digital leader.

"We are hoping to launch a tutorial programme soon to teach people, especially those in the rural areas, on how to use the Internet to start and develop their businesses.

"We are also looking at how we can improve the music and advertising industries in country and bring them on par with the rest of the world," he said.

• Travel Picks: Top 10 golf resorts around the world
• Chinese premier criticizes EU move on trade measures
• Justice Department opposes AMR's $20 million severance for CEO Horton
• News Corp to take charge of up to $1.4 billion this quarter
• Wall Street Week Ahead: Investors look for signs in the rally's break
• Unhappy with how your fave series is faring? Amazon gives you a say
• Visa, Mastercard ask U.S. court to declare card fees are lawful
• Wall Street posts first weekly loss since mid-April on Fed angst
• IMF's Lagarde escapes formal investigation in court
• Politics of development pays dividend
• A thematic play seen
• Sarawak counters hogging the limelight
• Getting GST acceptance will be tough
• A yen for the unloved dollar standard
• Bitten by the music bug

• French soldier stabbed on patrol in Paris
• Thousands run final mile of Boston Marathon as memorial
• Trio arrested over London soldier murder

• Pandelela-Mun Yee and Yan Yee-Jun Hoong bag bronze medals in Mexico
• World No. 1 Nicol sinks Waters to reach British Open final
• China confident of sweeping aside their final opponents
• Koreans in the final despite Dong-keun’s loss
• Macdonald and Marques share the lead
• McIlroy among big names who miss the cut as Molinari leads
• Kuchar leads in weather-hit second round
• Two tied at the top as rain stops play in the Bahamas
• Nico Rosberg revels in the rain as Mercedes stamp their mark
• Whitmarsh: McLaren’s hopes were too high this season
• Affendi brushes off hand injury to win CP130 race in Terengganu
• Hafizh needs to step up a gear after coming in fifth
• Vignesa right on track to retain GT Open title
• Dragons’ Melton confident of getting the better of Pringle in Game 2
• Indiana bounce back against Miami to level series

• Please wait.

• It takes nearly 72 hours to get a new polycarbonate passport now
• Too blessed to be stressed
• Indian warships visit Malaysian waters
• Give birth naturally, women urged
• Exemplary educators
• ‘Harry Potter Wong’ casts his spell
• Theme parks and long holiday help fill Johor hotel rooms
• DAP’s Ngeh in hot water over subservient tweet
• Rela man in coma after being rammed by biker
• King launches ‘Colours of 1Malaysia’ at Dataran Merdeka