Internet Centre to Facilitate Popular Power

[Andronex]

Chavez Inaugurates Internet Centre to Facilitate Popular Power in Venezuela

Merida, March 22nd, 2010 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – On Sunday the Venezuelan government added 24 public internet or “info-centres” to its current 644 and president Hugo Chavez turned over 15 of the centres to communal council control.

<snip>

In 2000 there were over 800,000 internet users and at the start of last year there were 7,552,570 users, an increase of over 900%, Chavez said. Thirty-eight percent, or nearly three million people use the info-centres, and 30% of those use the centres daily.

Also, according to Chavez, 53% of the total population have access to the internet, the highest figure in Latin America, and well above Latin America’s average of 35%, according to a 2008 Latinobarometro report.

This has been made possible by CANTV (the state owned telecommunications company) expanding its fibre optic network and installing satellite technology and 2,000 antennas in hard to reach rural areas, along with the info-centres.

“No one reports this, instead they spread the false news around the world that we’re going to ...restrict services, but our main strategy is to transfer power to the people and the most important type of power is knowledge,” Chavez said.

more... <http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/5211>