‘Protect what you have’
Residents urged to ensure Internet facility remains operational
Published:Thursday | August 11, 2022 | 12:06 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
RESIDENTS OF Canterbury, Farm Heights and Rose Heights, all in the constituency of St James Central, are now connected to the Internet, thanks to an investment of $15 million towards the installation of community Wi-Fi hotspots by the Universal Service Fund (USF).
Daniel Dawes, chief executive officer at the USF, in launching the community Wi-Fi hotspots on Monday, encouraged the beneficiaries to play their part in ensuring that it remains operational for the benefit of generations to come.
“You must protect what you have, the Internet is free for you and your children. Protect it and report any suspicious activities to the police and your member of parliament,” Dawes told residents of Rose Heights and Farm Heights.
“We will do all that we can to ensure that the facility remains operational,” he said.
Over in Canterbury, Kimara Shaw, a female student of Green Pond High School, told The Gleaner that the Wi-Fi hotspot in her community means a lot, especially for getting her assignments from school completed in a timely manner.
Before now Redemption Chapel, a church in the community, was the only place to access Wi-Fi, but Shaw said that it was not always reliable, especially if your house is located on the lower level of the community.
“Sometimes I can’t get the church Internet at my home. Now, I can come out here and use this new hotspot, so I really appreciate the Internet in the community,” a gleeful Shaw said.
“It is helpful because sometimes when I am at home and I don’t understand a particular aspect of my schoolwork, I can come out here and log on to the Internet and get a better understanding of things,” she added.
Heroy Clarke, member of parliament for St James Central, where these communities are located, told his constituents that they now have an opportunity to enhance their development through technology.
“What is being given to you is given from an open heart and so you must maintain with an open heart. You must see to the security of it because if it is used contrary to what it was given for, then … it is going to be taken from you,” said Clarke.
While the residents will not have to directly pay for the use of the USF-procured Wi-Fi hotspot, Clarke told residents that “it is not free, somebody has to foot the bill. We know that you can’t, so we have asked a partner to foot the bill”.
“Let them (sponsors) at the end of it all or every so often when the assessment is being done, they will say it was good for them to have come to Rose Heights/Farm Heights.”