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Brazil: Government to provide free Internet access to native tribes Print E-mail
Monday, 02 April 2007
Brazil's government intends to provide free Internet access to native tribes in the Amazon in an effort to help protect the rain forest.

The ministers of the environment and communications signed an agreement with the Forest People's Network to provide satellite Internet service to 150 communities, many reachable only by boat. The service will enable the people to report illegal logging and ranching and coordinate efforts to preserve the forest.

The Environment Ministry said city and state governments must set up telecentres with computers in selected areas before the federal government will provide the satellite connection. The areas in 13 states were chosen by the Environment Ministry, the National Indian Foundation (Funai), and Ibama, the government environmental protection agency.

Francisco Ashaninka, a native from the Ashaninka tribe who works for the western Acre state government, said the arrival of Internet was a success for the Forest People's Network, created in 2003. He said there are currently a few telecentres on the outskirts of cities, but that the new ones will be built deep in the forest and will give natives easy access to public officials so that they can alert them of illegal miners, loggers and ranchers.

Source: Associated Press - WDR/Intelecon Regulatory News.