I refer to Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak’s explanation that the country's low average Internet speed is because Malaysians opt for slower Internet speeds that is cheaper.

I would therefore like to put my view on record.

The issue is not about ‘availability’, but ‘affordability’. Clearly, the people of Malaysia have chosen to go for lower speeds because of the exorbitant prices for higher speed broadband.

One of the tenets of the government, and the regulator, is to provide affordable broadband to all. It was for this reason that broadband was proposed to be included in the scope of universal service provision in Malaysia.

The regulator collects six percent of the net revenues from all licensees to fund such a universal service. However, we don't see the rakyat benefiting from these community services in the form of affordable high-speed broadband

This is ridiculous during a time when the cost of per megabyte around the world is getting lower and lower and begs the question as to whether there are competition issues and effective regulation in Malaysia.

If prices are high for what is now deemed an ‘essential service’, then the government should investigate if the issue lies in whether the likes of Telekom Malaysia Bhd, which is the dominant broadband player, is abusing its position or whether there needs to be a revision downwards in wholesale access rates that may be driving up overall costs.

This is the more sensible approach, rather than blaming the end-users.