The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will enforce stricter rules for the distribution of 1Malaysia netbooks to students in the state following cases of falsification of information to obtain the netbook during the last two phases.

Eastern Region MCMC director Mohd Shafie Harun said although there were only a few such cases identified, the matter could not be allowed to prolong because it denied distribution to deserving students.

"To be fair, we will be more strict in the third phase of distribution in the state so that only students who truly deserve will be provided with the facility.

"If we find any falsification of information, for example if the household income is more than RM3,000 and they have marked it below RM3,000, we will remove the student's name from the list of receivers," he told reporters in Kuantan today.

He said the measure was also taken following complaints from students and parents who felt they deserved the facility but were denied because of the problem.

    

Relating to the matter, he said the MCMC urged deserving students or their parents to appeal to MCMC to ensure that the netbook reached them.

"Appeals can be made through the offices of the respective State Assemblymen or Members of Parliament or by coming directly to the MCMC office," he said.

Mohd Shafie said 37,000 netbook units would be distributed in the third phase to students who were deserving or those whose names had been left out in the last two phases in the state, including 5,800 units which would be distributed in the Teruntum and Tanjung Lumpur state constituencies.

He said the third phase distribution would be done in stages until the end of the schooling term this year.

Speaking on the broadband penetration rate in the state, he said currently the MCMC had managed to raise it to 50.3 percent, and was aiming to have 75 percent penetration by 2015.

- Bernama