Universal Service Fund launches free Wi-Fi in Lucea
Published:Monday | April 25, 2022 | 12:08 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Persons who visit Lucea, Hanover, will benefit from Universal Service Fund’s (USF) free public Internet and Wi-Fi service, which is being offered in several major town centres, parks and high-traffic areas across the island.
Anyone within 100 metres of the town’s Bustamante Square and wishing to use Internet or Wi-Fi service can now do so at no cost, courtesy of a collaborative effort between the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) and the USF.
Addressing the launch for the complimentary WiFi service, Mayor of Lucea and Chairman of the HMC Sheridan Samuels noted that the provision of free Internet service has happened at a time when major improvements are taking place in Lucea.
“We continue to invest in this small town and take pride in doing so. The reason we are here today is because we know the importance of communication, we also understand that being a part of the virtual world is no longer an option, it’s a must,” Samuels stated.
He argued that due to the challenges, financially and otherwise, associated with the availability of Internet access to many persons across the parish, the HMC collaborated with the USF to provide free WiFi.
Principal of the oldest high school in the parish, Rusea’s, Donna Anderson, in her comments at the launch of the free service, described the event as “history in the making”.
“This is a moment that we will all embrace as we recognise the importance of the use of technology to the advancement of our students,” she stated.
She described the move as very timely, noting that it has come about at a time when residents continue to face challenges with access to the Internet and affordability of data.
“The free public WiFi will provide many of our community members, especially our students, with free access to browsing for information, and creating the opportunity to build their competencies through networking,” she stated.
Anderson also said the facility will present added value for production to business enterprises in the area, and issued a charge for students to utilise the facility in a purposeful way, and to be mindful that they are leaving their footprints behind, adding that the facility will form the backbone of the town’s technological development.
NECESSITY
Member of Parliament for Western Hanover, Tamika Davis, described the occasion as a glorious day for the parish of Hanover in general, and Lucea in particular, noting that Internet access is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
“We have found this to be true, especially against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Davis. “It has caused us more than any other time to realise how dependent we are on the internet.”
Emphasising that Hanover has been suffering with low Internet connectivity, Davis pointed to a survey done in 2021 which showed that the parish ranked very low in comparison to others regarding the number of students being able to connect to the Internet.
She commended the USF and its telecommunication partners for providing the free Wi-Fi service throughout the parish.
In an interview with The Gleaner, Chief Executive Officer of the USF Daniel Dawes said that the cost to implement the free Wi-Fi service for Lucea was about $15 million.
“We will nonetheless have to pay a monthly fee, we will have to pay the provider of the service every month,” he stated.
“The community Wi-Fi establishments are a little bit less, about $7.5 million per site, and we will be doing three for eastern Hanover and three for western Hanover,” he added.
Dawes said about 125 Wi-Fi hotspots have been established across the country, out of a targeted 189, noting that the USF is expecting to establish all 189 by the end of May 2022.
“The feedback towards the establishment of the Wi-Fi hotspots has been tremendous, the people are very glad for it, very appreciative, and they have so expressed,” he stated, adding that the USF is very proud to know that it has been able to provide the service to Lucea in particular, and the parish of Hanover in general.