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The proposed 2007 Digital 21 Strategy had received broad community support, the Digital 21 Strategy Advisory Committee said at its meeting today (February 8).
At the close of the two-month public consultation period on December 18, 2006, a total of 70 written submissions had been received. There was general support on the theme, vision and the five actions areas of the 2007 Digital 21 Strategy.
The five areas are: facilitating a digital economy; promoting advanced technology and innovation; developing Hong Kong as a hub for technological co-operation and trade; enabling the next generation of public services; and building an inclusive, knowledge-based society.
The public agreed that Hong Kong should build on its existing strengths and harness the opportunities opened up by new technologies and the rapid technological development on the Mainland. The objective is to build an inclusive, knowledge-based society and to enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness in the globalised market.
Respondents considered that the Government should continue to demonstrate its commitment as a user, supporter and facilitator of information and communications technology. Many submissions acknowledged the importance of establishing closer ties with the Mainland. In addition to ongoing liaison through existing Hong Kong/Mainland co-operation channels, some called for more concrete initiatives to tie in with the National 11th Five-Year Plan.
Taking into account comments received during the public consultation exercise and the valuable views expressed by the committee during the meeting, the Government aims to finalise the 2007 Digital 21 Strategy for release in mid-2007.
At today's meeting, the committee was briefed on the latest developments and improvement measures being undertaken following the disruption of external telecommunications services caused by the earthquakes near Taiwan on December 26, 2006.
Members noted that the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) had liaised with the relevant operators to ensure efficient backup capacity and effective diversity would be available to deal with emergencies. In addition, outage reporting mechanisms for submarine cable systems and Internet access services were being finalised for implementation this month so as to ensure prompt dissemination of information to the users and the public.
OFTA had also commenced discussions with the operators on what should appropriately be undertaken at the Government level with authorities of the Mainland and other countries to facilitate the acquisition of adequate backup capacity and route diversity.
In parallel, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer would enhance public awareness and education, with due regard to the needs of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, to provide relevant advice on topics such as business continuity planning, incident management and response.
During the meeting, the committee was also briefed on the consultation documents on copyright protection in the digital environment and the introduction and regulation of mobile television services in Hong Kong.
Ends/Thursday, February 8, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:37
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