USF’s Solar-Powered Wi-Fi Boosts Community Resilience

When Hurricane Melissa battered sections of western Jamaica in October 2025, it left more than damaged roads, homes and utility poles in its wake.

It also highlighted the vulnerability of communities when electricity and telecommunications infrastructure fails.

That experience prompted the Universal Service Fund (USF) to rethink its approach to providing public internet access, resulting in the introduction of solar-powered technology that keeps community Wi-Fi hotspots running even when the traditional power grid fails.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Charlton McFarlane, says the agency’s decision was driven by the urgent need to help Jamaicans reconnect with loved ones during times of crisis while reducing dependence on vulnerable infrastructure.

“When we saw the devastation from Hurricane Melissa, and we saw the extent to which the infrastructure, both telecoms and lights and power infrastructure, was damaged, and then we saw the need for Jamaicans to be able to connect and reconnect with friends and families… we thought about how we could restore connectivity… but do so in a way that reduces the vulnerability of our connections,” he tells JIS News.

Rather than relying exclusively on power from the national grid, the USF’s upgraded hotspots utilise solar panels and battery storage technology to keep satellite internet equipment running 24 hours a day.

During the daytime, the solar panels not only power the system but also charge the batteries, ensuring enough stored energy to keep the service operational throughout the night.

Mr. McFarlane says this approach provides an important layer of resilience, enabling communities to continue accessing free internet service even when surrounding areas are affected by widespread outages.

“As you can see, such devices… would have ensured as well that, in instances where the traditional power grid goes down, those particular locations will remain up because, in a real way, the sun never stops shining,” the CEO says.

Beyond its role in emergency response, the technology is strengthening the USF’s wider mission to provide reliable internet access to underserved Jamaicans.

The agency targets communities where residents may be unable to afford home internet or mobile data plans, as well as areas where it may not be commercially viable for service providers to offer connectivity.

According to Mr. McFarlane, more than 70,000 people in western Jamaica accessed USF community Wi Fi hotspots each day during the agency’s most recent reporting period.

Students use the service to complete school assignments and conduct research. Entrepreneurs and content creators depend on reliable internet access to market their businesses, while families utilise the hotspots to maintain contact with relatives in Jamaica and abroad.

“There is economic value in our Wi-Fi. There is social and other domestic value in our Wi-Fi,” Mr. McFarlane shares with JIS News.

He adds that demand has grown even more since Hurricane Melissa, as many families rebuilding their homes have had to delay reconnecting private internet services, making community Wi Fi an increasingly vital resource.

Mr. McFarlane says the USF’s solar-powered initiative also supports Jamaica’s broader digital transformation agenda, which rests on three key pillars: access to devices, digital skills training, and internet connectivity.

Over the years, the USF has distributed thousands of tablets and laptops, trained more than 2,000 Jamaicans through its Technology Advancement Programme (TAP), awarded information and communications (ICT) scholarships, and expanded free community Wi Fi access to more than 400 communities across the island.

Looking ahead, the agency plans to make solar-powered technology a standard feature as it expands, upgrades and replaces community Wi Fi sites across Jamaica.

While the initial focus has been on western parishes affected by Hurricane Melissa, the long-term goal is to build a more resilient national network capable of withstanding future disasters.

“As we recover from Melissa and as we build back stronger, as we build back more resilient, I do believe that we are required to find resilient solutions… and solutions that are not as vulnerable to the elements and to the type of disasters that Jamaica is prone to,” Mr. McFarlane says.

For communities that rely on public internet access to learn, work, communicate and recover, the USF’s investment signals that when the next disruption occurs, staying connected may depend less on the power grid and more on the power of the sun.