Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/745623
4 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 2 NOVEMBER 2016 News Dwarna with Mariella Dimech every Tuesday at 21.00 on TVM2 MP wants 'fastest internet in the world' TIM DIACONO SHADOW economy minister Claudio Grech has urged the government to invest heavily in Malta's technological infrastruc- ture, so that the country would be able to boast one of the fastest Internet speeds in the world. Addressing a parliamentary de- bate on the 2017 budget for the competitiveness ministry, Grech said that Malta must aspire to of- fer download speeds as strong as one gigabyte per second, which would be double that of the fast- est download speed (500MBps) currently on offer. "We aren't being visionary enough on how to invest in and upgrade our local infrastructure, which will after all boost our economy," he said, adding that he will pressure the PN to adopt such a policy. "The government must not leave such investment solely to the private sector, but should play an active role to upgrade our technological infrastructure." Grech hailed the government's plans – announced in the 2017 Budget – to connect a submarine cable to Marseille, arguing that Malta must diversify its telecom- munications routes. "If Malta is to become a digital hub, then we must diversify our telecommunications routes," he said. "All Malta's submarine ca- bles pass through a single Inter- net exchange in Sicily, rendering the entire economy at risk of a single point of failure." In response, competitiveness minister Manuel Mallia said the government fully understood the need for Malta's Internet velocity and technological infrastructure to improve. "Malta's economic environ- ment must continue to facilitate an ever-increasing Internet ve- locity to meet the ambitious tar- gets for the digital economy, that will lead to more innovation, cre- ate more quality jobs and render the country more competitive," he said. Mallia added that Internet of 30MBps is now available in every corner of Malta and Gozo, com- pared to the EU average of 68%, and that GO is currently roll- ing out a Fibre-To-The-Home scheme across the island, that offers download speeds of up to 500MBps. Moreover, he said that the gov- ernment wants free Wi-FI to be available in every public space, and that it plans to install 35 Wi- Fi hotspots before the end of the year – bringing the total number of hotspots in the country up to 300. Updated gaming legislation 'at an advanced stage' Minister Mallia also confirmed that discussions on a major up- date to Malta's gaming legislation are "at advanced stages" and that a draft law will soon be presented to Cabinet before being issued for public consultation. "The Malta Gaming Author- ity wants to create more synergy between laws on land-based and remote gaming, and has evaluat- ed all the country's gaming laws to find out whether the industry can be regulated in a more prac- tical and relevant manner," Mal- lia said. "The plan is to address every shortcoming in the current gaming legislation, and to ensure that the MGA is in the best pos- sible position to fulfil its duty as a regulator. An economic impact assessment will also be carried out to assess the ripple-effects that the proposed changes will have on the Maltese economy." Earlier, Opposition MP Kristy Debono warned that Malta's gaming legislation is at risk of becoming obsolete in the face of growing competition from with- in and outside the EU. "Our legislation used to be avant-garde when it was intro- duced back in 2004, but the gam- ing sector has evolved at such a rapid rate that what was modern 12 years ago is now obsolete. Malta has now lost its novelty in being the only EU country to regulate the industry, and indeed a number European jurisdic- tions have now followed and even overtaken our regulation. "I hope that the proposed legis- lation will pass into law as soon as possible because every day that passes is a wasted opportunity." She also urged the government to introduce more schemes to en- courage businesses to develop an online presence. Debono proposed the drafting of a national strategy to retain the gaming companies that have set up shop in Malta, and the simplification of the licensing process for new gaming compa- nies. "The due diligence process mustn't be diluted, but operators and service operators are being asked to provide too much paper- work," she said. She also called on the govern- ment to take on a more pro- active stance to combat money laundering, noting that an asset recovery bureau it had promised has not yet been introduced. "If we don't adopt a risk-based approach, then our country is at risk of slipping behind when it comes to its reputation and abil- ity to attract serious foreign di- rect investment," she said. Nationalist Party welcomes court ruling on Ombudsman investigation YANNICK PACE THE Nationalist Party wel- comed a decision by the court of appeal that on Monday con- firmed that the Ombudsman has the right to investigate com- plaints about alleged injustices that have occurred within the Armed Forces of Malta, particu- larly the way in which promo- tions are given. The shadow minister for Home Affairs, Beppe Fenech Adami, said that the PN condemns the government for doing every- thing in its power to block the Ombudsman from investigating these injustices. "This has resulted in the Om- budsman having to resort to the courts to protect the rights and obligations of his office to investigate these injustices. Yes- terday's decision is another con- demnation of [Prime Minister Joseph] Muscat's government, which has once again been found guilty of trying to silence the Ombudsman," said Fenech Adami. He said that the government started giving out promotions to those close to the government right after the 2013 general elec- tion, at the expense of others who had a right to advance their career in the army. Fenech Adami reiterated the PN's stance, that when in gov- ernment, it would seek to do justice with those who have suf- fered injustice. Beppe Fenech Adami has said that a PN government would undo all of the injustices committed in the Armed Forces