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Cabinet has approved drafting instructions to amend the Broadcasting and Radio Re-Diffusion Act (1995) to provide for more flexibility in the granting of a subscriber television or cable television licence. Minister of Information, Senator Burchell Whiteman said that the amendments were necessary as the licensing period for cable operators expired at the end of the year, and it was imperative...

The $10 million project has been implemented through financing from the CHASE fund to equip 68 libraries with the necessary technology to provide Internet service. The project was officially launched at the Green Island Branch library in Hanover on March 4. Chairman of the Jamaica Library Board, Dr. Simon Clarke emphasises a point, while speaking yesterday (Mar. 3) at the...

The National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica Limited (Ex-Im) has launched a loan programme to offer financial aid to entrepreneurs in the Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector. The programme, which is two-pronged, will see the Bank partnering with the Technology Innovation Centre (TIC) of the University of Technology (UTech) to implement the ICT -Yes initiative, which involves offering short term revolving...

The Caribbean's first network access facility, the Jamaica Network Access Point (JNAP), was officially launched on March 2 to offer a wide range of solutions for corporate data and telecommunications networking needs. The facility, located at the Digital building on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston, opened its doors a year ago. It is a co-location facility or 'Telecom Hotel' that...

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ministerial Subcommittee for Resource Mobilization in collaboration with the United Kingdom (UK) will be seeking to establish a Regional Information and Intelligence Sharing Network. This network is aimed at developing domestic and regional connectivity to generate tactical and strategic intelligence. The Intelligence Sharing Network was one of several initiatives, which came out of Wednesday's (March 3)...

The Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank will launch a new loan programme on Friday, March 5, specifically targetting the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) sector. Managing Director of the Ex-Im Bank, Pamella McLean, told JIS News that the bank would be making available to the sector, a total fund pool of $80 million, of which $20 million would be directed as working...

The first year of full liberalisation of the telecommunications sector has seen the issuing of 58 international carrier licences and 52 international service provider licences by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR). The third phase of a liberalisation process, which began in 2000 allowed telecommunications operators to provide international call service to customers without having to go through Cable and...

Commerce, Science and Technology Minister, Phillip Paulwell has said that the new Telecommunications Policy recently approved by Cabinet will seek to establish a single regulatory agency for the telecommunications sector and assist in achieving universal access across Jamaica. The decision to have a single regulator, said Minister Paulwell, was thought best for the industry, as it was "unfair to have...

Commerce, Science and Technology Minister, Phillip Paulwell has said that approximately US$500 million worth of investment has taken place in the telecommunication sector since the process of liberalisation began some three years ago. Addressing the impact of telecommunication liberalisation on the economy, the Minister said: "We have seen a dramatic increase in investment in this area". He told JIS News...

The Jamaica Library Service (JLS), in collaboration with the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund will officially launch an Information Communication Technology (ICT) project on Wednesday, March 3 at the Green Island Library in Hanover. This project was made possible through a $10 million allotment from the CHASE Fund and will see some 30 branch libraries offering Internet...

Interim Director for the Malvern Science Research Centre (MSRC), Monica Myers, has said that for the country to achieve sustainable levels of economic prosperity, the promulgation of science and technology should be at the heart of any long-term programme being advanced by the education sector. Commenting on a 1991 study conducted by Dr. Ethley London, Mrs. Myers said that the...

While some Jamaicans are sitting idly by complaining about the lack of employment opportunities, one group in the farming community of Trinityville in St. Thomas has become a trendsetter in the use of locally grown produce to achieve self-sufficiency. From its local community center, the agro-processing group utilizes breadfruit, plantain, passion fruit and pumpkin to manufacture tasty, high quality wines....