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From the irex.org Web site: On February 16, Abdilboki Tolipov, the director of the Civil Society Support Center (CSSC) in Nookat, Kyrgyzstan, announced the official opening of a new Independent Internet Center (IIC) in the village of Aravan. CSSC already hosts an IATP access site, but Tolipov and his staff used the organization’s own funds to open an additional center in Aravan to address a pressing need for access to information in the isolated village, 55 kilometers from Nookat and 38 kilometers from the Uzbekistan border. Aravan has an undeveloped infrastructure, and agriculture is the only source of income for the population. National newspapers arrive in the town two weeks after publication, and the only broadcast news available is television broadcasts in Uzbek from Uzbekistan state television. Independent Internet Centers (IIC) operate independently and provide at least 20 hours of free Internet access and training each month, but charge modest fees for other services to sustain the high costs of Internet, labor, and maintenance. The costs for opening of the new access site in Aravan were over $1,400 in total, which were covered by the CSSC’s savings from previous grants and revenue from paid services. In February, Aravan center administrator Dinara Matkasymova convinced Dostuk, a local newspaper, to publish a free advertisement of the IIC’s resources and services. From February 20 to 25, Matkasymova conducted the first paid courses in computer and Internet basics for ten local residents, each of whom paid 30 soms (80 cents) for week-long courses. More local residents have already lined up for the IIC’s computer courses, as it is the only place in town offering such services. CSSC director Tolipov remarked, "I am really happy to see how we are growing in terms of educating local residents in computer literacy. We will be further developing the site in Aravan by expanding services available to people and equal the productivity of the Nookat site."