SINGAPORE: A new scheme will provide 60,000 low-income Singaporean families with subsidised broadband and laptops or tablets, Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo said in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 28).
About S$80 million has been set aside over the next four years to fund the DigitalAccess@Home scheme, which replaces the NEU PC Plus and Home Access schemes. More than 46,000 households have benefited from those two schemes since 2020.
Mrs Teo said that currently, 92 per cent of households in Singapore have access to a computer, and 99 per cent have broadband.
“One group we remain concerned about are lower-income households. For most households, digital connectivity has become as essential as water and electricity. But for some, connectivity can still feel costly,” she said.
DigitalAccess@Home will take effect from Apr 3. Compared with the existing schemes, it will have a simplified application process and more flexibility in the choice of device and broadband connectivity, said the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).
The scheme is open only to those living in Housing Board flats, with at least one member of the household a Singaporean.
Families must also have a monthly gross household income of S$1,900 or less, or a monthly per capita income of S$650 or less. If there is a primary school student or person with disabilities in the household, the gross and per capita income ceilings are raised to S$3,400 and S$900 respectively.