A network of access points to the Internet public administration services has been opened.
Since the middle of November the residents of Katowice have been able to use, free of charge, the network of the Internet points with the access to the services and contents provided electronically by the municipal office. The network consists of 12 info-kiosks, 9 tele-centers and a hot-spot in the Katowice market square.
Info-kiosks are adapted and encased computers situated inside and outside the buildings of the municipal office in the city centre; tele-centres are rooms, equipped with five computers each, located in libraries and cultural centers outside the downtown of the city, and a hot-spot is an area with wireless Internet access.
The network of public points of access to the electronic public administration services is to enable residents free access to the information which will help them to take care of their businesses in the office. You can not take care of any official business through the network yet, but you can send a complaint or a petition to the municipal council. It is already possible, among other things, to obtain full information about official procedures or time when the council taxes are due, and also to print necessary forms and instructions.
The usefulness of the points, which opened Tuesday, is supposed to increase after popularization of the electronic signature - probably in 2008. Then - after creating an individual Internet service in the municipal office - it will be possible e.g. to send there a full application for an identity card, or to control the status of tax settlements with the office.
The investment was being carried out from April last year. Initially it was supposed to cost around 700 000 PLN, but the costs were reduced to around 500 000 PLN. 75 percent of the investment was financed with the funds of the European Regional Development Fund within the framework of Information Society Infrastructure.
