The Universal Service Fund (USF) intends to expand its Community Connect and Connect Jamaica public Wi-Fi programmes in the 2022/2023 financial year.
Speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ recently, Director of Projects at the USF, Kwan Wilson, noted these have been “very successful and impactful” over the years.
Mr. Wilson informed that the Fund aims to establish six additional facilities under the Connect Jamaica programme, which involves the setting up of Wi-Fi hotspots in selected public areas.
“We started this project in 2017, where we would have established public Wi-Fi in four locations. Today, we have 19 public Wi-Fi [sites] in our major townships across Jamaica,” he said.
Emancipation Park and Devon House, in Kingston, are two areas that have been equipped with this resource.
Additionally, 63 locations will be targeted under the Community Connect initiative. This undertaking involves the installation of free Wi-Fi hotspots in underserved and unserved communities recommended by respective Members of Parliament.
One hundred and twenty-five such facilities have already been implemented, and the Fund is expected to increase this to 189 by the end of May 2022.
The next installation is scheduled for Thursday, May 19, at the Claude Stewart Park in Port Maria, St. Mary. It is the penultimate activity of a week of celebrations as the USF recognises its 17th anniversary.
Mr. Wilson said the Fund is encouraging community groups to consider partnering with the agency to implement more community access points (CAPs) across the island.
CAPs are computer labs that have been outfitted with computers, networks, electricity and other peripheral items, such as furniture.
“We have some set criteria for establishing these CAPs. We need to know that there is a set management structure in place, that you have a sustainability plan and how the community will benefit from this initiative, in terms of the impact and usability of the space,” he said.
CAP was initiated in 2005 when there was a deficit of access to both computer devices and the Internet. Now there are 345 sites across the length and breadth of Jamaica.
The USF is working to transform the country into a knowledge-based society, in keeping with the Government’s vision of repositioning the nation as a technology-enabled society.
