On 4 April, the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) named Ms Suvi Lindén, the Finnish Minister of Communications, as the Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year for 2011. The ICF selected Minister Lindén for her commitment to ensuring broadband access to every citizen in Finland and for her active role in the UN Broadband Commission.
Minister Lindén receives the award in New York on 3 June 2011.
'We were the first country in the world to define, in legislation, that broadband connections should be every citizen's basic right, just like phone or postal services,' says Minister of Communications Suvi Lindén.
'In addition to high-speed connections, the availability of user-friendly services and information is important - it lays down the foundation for genuine information society development. In this respect, the public sector could lead the way by opening up access to public administration data and making it available for citizens and private businesses, Minister Lindén says.
