8/22/22, 10:18 PM Myanmar: Freedom on the Net 2019 Country Report | Freedom House The number of mobile connections has continued to grow, 8 increasing by about 7 percent in 2018, reaching 56 million connections in total. 9 Despite this growth, the percentage of the population with a mobile connection is lower than in neighboring countries. 10 Just over 50 percent of the population has mobile connections, and many people have multiple SIM cards. 11 Infrastructure development continues to be a challenge, with flooding and unreliable electricity hampering connectivity, while an inefficient bureaucracy and corruption limit growth and improvement in the sector. 12 New sanctions adopted in the wake of the Rohingya crisis have also been applied to the export of telecommunications equipment to Myanmar, although it is unclear whether or how the sanctions have affected infrastructure development. 13 Meanwhile, infrastructure has been damaged by a range of problems such as rodents, car accidents, and construction. 14 A2 0-3 pts Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 1/3 The internet became accessible to more people during the coverage period. The price of mobile internet connections has dropped and data is now more affordable. 15 Prices for fixed broadband lines have continued to decrease, dropping on average by half between 2018 and 2019, though prices vary by region. 16 The costs of fixed-line connections have decreased due to competition with 4G and a dearth of demand from customers. The average fixed-line connection now costs $38 per month in urban areas, which remains prohibitively expensive for the majority of the population. The Digital Economy Development Committee (DEDC) was launched in 2017 to support and develop economic policies that promote a digital economy. 17 In March 2019, the DEDC launched its Digital Economy Roadmap, which includes several plans to build digital inclusivity, improve connectivity, and harness technology to foster socioeconomic development. 18 The DEDC had met only twice by the end of the coverage period and has thus far largely operated in secret, without significant public consultation. 19 Although the roadmap divides responsibilities among different ministries, it is unclear how much—if any—budget has been allocated to operationalizing it. National figures on internet access hide a digital divide that affects marginalized groups. Urban users who have access to 4G consume almost five times more data on average each month than the national average for all users. 20 The number of households, particularly in rural areas, that have access to a computer or to the internet remains small. 21 Users in rural areas and small towns have poorer internet connections than those in urban areas. In recognition of the geographical disparity in access, the government announced the development of a Universal Service Fund (USF) to invest in telecommunications services for areas that are otherwise underserved, with the eventual aim of reaching 99 percent of the population. 22 The USF is supported by a new 2 percent telecommunications tax that was rolled out in mid-2018. 23 Four townships in the Rakhine and Magwe regions have been selected for the USF’s first pilot project, 24 and the government is conducting a tender to identify service providers for the pilot. 25 https://freedomhouse.org/country/myanmar/freedom-net/2019 3/20