Govt discusses scrapping right-of-way fees to accelerate fiber rollout

The government discussed abolishing Right-of-way (ROW) fees, among other measures, for telecom infrastructure as part of a proposed National Connectivity Plan (NCP) aimed at accelerating fibre-optic network deployment and expanding high-speed internet access, read an official statement on Friday. Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema chaired a meeting on the NCP, joined by the Minister for IT & Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja and senior officials. The meeting primarily focused on expanding access to high-speed internet in villages, remote areas, and small towns to bridge the digital divide and unlock new economic opportunities, read an official statement.