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rcdf projects in kasese district - Uganda Communications Commission

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1. Background<br />

The <strong>Uganda</strong> <strong>Communications</strong> Act of 1997 mandates UCC to establish and<br />

adm<strong>in</strong>isters a Universal Service Fund (USF) for communications <strong>in</strong> <strong>Uganda</strong>.<br />

UCC thus establishes and adm<strong>in</strong>isters a USF called the Rural <strong>Communications</strong><br />

Development Fund (RCDF).<br />

RCDF was created through its first RCDF Policy of 2001 whose actual<br />

implementation started <strong>in</strong> the year 2003. Under this Policy, the ma<strong>in</strong> goal of<br />

RCDF was to provide access to basic ICT to the rural and underserved<br />

communities of <strong>Uganda</strong>.<br />

Follow<strong>in</strong>g the realization of the goal of the RCDF Policy of 2001, and the<br />

changes <strong>in</strong> the external and <strong>in</strong>ternal environment of RCDF, a new policy the<br />

RCDF Policy of 2010 was adopted with its ma<strong>in</strong> goal be<strong>in</strong>g the enhancement of<br />

usage of ICT <strong>in</strong> the rural communities of <strong>Uganda</strong>.<br />

RCDF <strong>projects</strong> are established <strong>in</strong> areas where no similar ICT facilities exist and<br />

such facilities are not expected to be established <strong>in</strong> those areas <strong>in</strong> the<br />

foreseeable future.<br />

Districts are the ma<strong>in</strong> adm<strong>in</strong>istrative blocks that the RCDF programme uses <strong>in</strong><br />

order to ensure that the communication services provided are equitably<br />

distributed throughout the country.<br />

2. Introduction<br />

The RCDF program seeks to provide susta<strong>in</strong>able access to ICT services to<br />

people <strong>in</strong> rural areas. The <strong>projects</strong> are strategically located <strong>in</strong> more populated<br />

centers with relatively more commercial activity to ensure that the <strong>projects</strong> are<br />

self susta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g.<br />

A total of 40 ICT <strong>projects</strong> have been established <strong>in</strong> the <strong>district</strong> through the<br />

RCDF programme of UCC.<br />

In conjunction with various project stakeholders, UCC/RCDF determ<strong>in</strong>es a<br />

specific location for each project. The population distribution with<strong>in</strong> the <strong>district</strong><br />

as shown <strong>in</strong> Table 2 is also a key determ<strong>in</strong>ant of the location of a project.<br />

Like all other <strong>projects</strong> of RCDF, the ICT <strong>projects</strong> are established as<br />

partnerships between UCC and a private or public partner. UCC provides<br />

4

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