The resort towns of Negril and Ocho Rios; the historical community of Port Royal; the Portmore Resilience Park; and Gordon House and its surroundings are among the next locales to offer free public wireless (Wi-Fi) internet access with the support of the Universal Service Fund (USF).

Chief Executive Officer of the USF Charlton McFarlane made this revelation to members of the Rotary Club of Trafalgar New Heights in St Andrew recently, as the guest speaker at the club’s general meeting held at CRU Bar and Kitchen on Lady Musgrave Road.

“There are 63 communities island-wide being assessed for implementation,” he said, pointing to the USF’s Community Wi-Fi programme under which some 189 communities across the country have already benefited.

“In addition to that, there will be five public Wi-Fi installations. Those five locations, as proposed, will be Negril, Port Royal, the Portmore Resilience Park and [the] parliament building,” he confirmed.

USF selects public spaces and communities to offer public Wi-Fi based on a detailed set of selection criteria. According to McFarlane, these include population density; residents’ access to the Internet and their ability to afford the service; safety of common facilities to house the equipment; as well as the availability of electricity.

McFarlane clarified that the service is not simply provided without safeguards, as partnerships are forged to educate residents on how to safely use the internet and protect the equipment.

“We promote safe internet usage for all our hotspot areas. We partner with the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) and the SDC (Social Development Commission) to promote safe internet use and protection of the infrastructure,” he explained.

The provision of free public Wi-Fi and community access are only two of several projects across the country funded by the USF to prepare Jamaica for digital transformation. More than $1 billion is invested by the fund annually through the provision of ICT-related tertiary scholarships and mobile devices to primary and high school students, among various other projects to promote digital adaptation.

Over $1.3 billion has also been spent on building out infrastructure along major thoroughfares to facilitate the carriage of broadband internet across the country.

“To date the cumulative expense exceeds over $10 billion (on various projects),” McFarlane revealed. “And I believe this underscores our unwavering dedication to digital transformation.”