iv. Affordable Universal Access to ICT For every Liberian to have affordable access to ICT it will be necessary to reduce the cost of access and increase coverage. This will require increased competition in the sector along with cooperation of all stakeholders to drive down prices, and a combination of private and public funds to build out the network into the remote areas. The Universal Access Fund managed by the LTA will support initiatives to ensure that voice and Internet access is available to every Liberian citizen, including through the provision of affordable public access through Wifi hotspots and public access facilities where needed, especially in rural areas. v. Security and Reliability of critical ICT infrastructure Implement Cybersecurity and Privacy standards for critical infrastructures, to include the establishment of a Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT). In addition, standards for building communication towers, laying ducts and fiber cables will be developed to ensure conformity, and compliance for confidentiality, integrity and reliability of the infrastructure and access equality. The Internet Exchange Point (IXP) that has been established at CCL is also part of Liberia’s critical infrastructure. The IXP ensures that local traffic stays local, and that alternative routes should be always available. vi. Leveraging new national physical infrastructure (including power) Co-ordination of fiber network build-out with deployment of other linear utility infrastructure such as roads, rail lines, power lines and pipelines is required, along with dig-once policies, to minimize the costs of achieving the necessary coverage. The Infrastructure Working group convened by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, which includes representatives from all relevant government departments, will be upgraded to a National Engineering Coordinating team (NECT) hosted under Ministry of Public Works and Co-chaired by MoPT to coordinate all civil works and projects, such as roads, railways, utility ducts and aerial cables to ensure all new utility infrastructure includes provisions for ducts and/or masts, and that the correct standards are adhered to in their deployment. At the same time, mechanisms to set reasonable prices for the use of the infrastructure, and to support their maintenance will also be established by the NECT. vii. Integrating ICT Infrastructures in Transport and Energy Project Construction Budgets Civil work for laying fiber constitutes a significant part of the cost of laying fiber, while inclusion of ducts in the design of new construction, such as road or power projects, represents an almost trivial additional cost. Supported by the NECT, collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Regulator (LTA), Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning will ensure that all future public construction work includes the cost of a telecom or general utility duct. This will help to vastly reduce the cost of laying fiber and will fulfill the dig-once policy for purpose of efficiency and the integrity of the environment. The planning approvals process will integrate dig once principles to ensure other social infrastructure and all public buildings include the necessary 32