Residents of Yakutian villages in Russia’s Far East were unable to participate in an online vote on the provision of Internet access due to the lack of an Internet connection, reported local newspaper Sakhaday on November 7.
Voting for remote villages and settlements began on Russia’s state services website, Gosuslugi – a poll on the website was designed to determine high-priority areas that need Internet access. Residents of remote villages in Yakutia complained that they couldn't participate in the project, as they couldn't load the Gosuslugi website due to insufficient speed.
“People from small villages write that this is some kind of mockery. They write: how can I vote for the Internet without the Internet? They say: to vote, you need to have the Internet,” said local assembly deputy Elena Golomareva.
The request could have been filed another way – by sending a letter to Moscow by November 26. Some villages, however, are out of reach of Russia’s postal service.
Over 7,000 residents have already voted for Internet access in the region, according to the local government’s press service. The Russian Ministry of Digital Development and Communications has promised that 1,800 small communities throughout Russia will be connected to 4G based on the results of the survey.