Special assistants to chief adviser Faiz Taiyeb Ahmad said a policy will be developed to ensure that no organization can shut down the internet.
He made the statement during a discussion titled “Initiatives to get fast, quality and easy accessible internet” organized by the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers’ Association at the Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Hall at the National Press Club on Sunday.
Speaking as the chief guest at the meeting, the special assistant to the chief adviser said, in the Cyber Protection Ordinance 2025, we have recognized the internet as a citizen’s right.
“At the same time, we will not put anything in the Bangladesh Telecommunications Act that gives the government or private companies the right to shut down the internet. That is, the internet is the product of our young generation,” he continued.
He said, any kind of need, control centered on the internet- this is against the spirit of our July Uprising. That is why we will make such a policy, such a regulation where neither the government nor the private sector can shut down the internet.
Regarding the internet shutdowns by the authoritarian government that fell in the July uprising, Faiz Taiyeb Ahmad said: “Our freelancers have been affected; the international credit ratings of businesses and banks have decreased. At the same time, our FDI branding has been severely damaged. I will call on our political parties to ensure that future political leadership does not accommodate these rules and regulations of the former dictatorship.”
Information technology and telecom expert Mustafa Hussain was presented the keynote speech at the discussion meeting chaired by Mohiuddin Ahmed, President of the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumer’s Association.
The special guests at the event were Engineer Ishraq Hossain, Special Assistant to the BNP International Relations Committee, Telecommunications Expert Mahtab Uddin, President of IIGAB Aminul Hakim, CEO of BD Jobs and former President of BASIS Fahim Mashroor, President of ISPAB Md Emdadul Hoque and others were present at the meeting.
Representatives of IIGB, ISPAB, mobile operators, telecommunications and technology experts, and media representatives were present at the event.
Translated by AM
