Minister Lindén to receive international award

Ministry of Transport and Communications
Publication date 4.4.2011 10.00
Press release

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.

On the initiative of Minister Lindén, a government resolution was issued in 2008 with the objective of ensuring that by 2010, every citizen has access to a 1 Mbit broadband connection. As a result, this was defined as everyone's right in legislation. In the second phase, the objective is to make high-speed broadband connections available to nearly all permanent residences and offices of businesses and public administration bodies by the end of 2015.

'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.

The Intelligent Community Forum

The Intelligent Community Forum is a foundation and New York-based think tank that studies the economic and social development of the 21st Century community. Whether in industrial or developing nations, communities are challenged to create prosperity, stability and cultural meaning in a world where jobs, investment and progress increasingly depend on broadband communications and other access technologies.

ICF has presented the Intelligent Community Visionary of the Year award annually since 2005. Previous recipients include for example the founders of Wikia, Angela Beesley and Jimmy Wales.

The Visionary of the Year award is presented to an individual or an organization that has taken a leadership role in promoting broadband technology and applications as an essential utility in the Digital Age. The winner must have a proven track record in bringing about cooperation between the public and private sectors, and must be recognized by peers as an expert in the field.

Further information

Ms Anna Anttinen, Special Adviser to the Minister of Communications, tel. +358 9 160 28324
Mr Juhapekka Ristola, Director-General, tel. +358 400 788 530