• The establishment of a competitive and liberalized communication environment in the next two to three years in the FSM.
• The implementation of a broadband submarine fiber optics capability for all states in the FSM within four years.
A Telecommunications and Submarine Fiber Optics Task Force has already been established composed of high level members from the Department of Justice, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Statistics, Budget Economic Management, Overseas Development Assistance and Compact Management, the Department of Resources and Development and the chief of staff.
The directive was followed by a presidential memorandum to all departments, offices and agencies outlining the ongoing engagement between the FSM and the World Bank in the area of communication technology.
Mori said the FSM and the World Bank are discussing the “Terms of Reference” for technical assistance from the World Bank.
The technical assistance will target establishing policy and regulatory framework for competitive telecommunications, initiate technical assessment and business plan for submarine fiber optics capacity enhancement to the three states not currently connected to broadband fiber optics, and assessing financial and technical improvements for the FSM Telecommunications Corporation.
The FSM became one of the 187 member countries of the World Bank in 1993.
The task force will hold monthly meetings and report to the president on ways to move forward on the initiatives and priorities in information and communication technology on a regular basis.
