USF Bridging Information Gap

The Universal Service Fund (USF) continues to play a key role in bridging the information divide by providing Internet access to communities across the island, says Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval Williams.

She was bringing greetings at a church service in observance of the USF’s 16th anniversary, held at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church in Kingston on May 15.

Minister Williams said that the Fund is engaged with more than 900 projects island-wide, including the establishment of community access points (CAPS) in more than 300 underserved areas, and the Wi-Fi hotspot programme to provide free Internet service to 189 communities.

She noted that these engagements have linked schools, hospitals, libraries, and police stations.

“I take this opportunity, therefore, to commend the management and staff of the USF, who have worked diligently, over these years, to bring more Jamaicans into the world of modern technology,” she said.

In his remarks, Member of Parliament for East Kingston and Port Royal, Phillip Paulwell, who is Opposition Spokesperson on Mining and Energy, commends the USF on its work across the island.

“We [the Opposition] will support the Government to ensure that the USF has adequate funding to ensure that our people will continue to have a better life and access to technology,” he said.

The USF is an agency that operates under the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology.

It is mandated to ensure access to information and communications technology (ICT) tools to facilitate development and ensure that Jamaica becomes a knowledge-based society.