USF To Facilitate Establishment Of 20 New CAPs

The Universal Service Fund (USF) will facilitate the establishment of 20 new Community Access Points (CAPs) and provide access to schools, libraries and post offices, along with faith-based organisations and the disabled community.

This is outlined in the 2020/21 Public Bodies Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, tabled in the House of Representatives by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon Nigel Clarke.

The agency will also be supporting the Technology Advancement Programme (TAP) to facilitate a technology-enabled society by equipping approximately 600 young persons with the skills and experience to participate in the global digital economy.

For the fiscal year, USF will facilitate the Connect Jamaica Programme by funding, implementing and partnering to deliver six public Wi-Fi hotspots across townships.

It will also continue the islandwide Broadband Programme, which is designed to provide broadband access to public institutions (police, schools, hospitals, health departments and libraries) across the country.

The USF will also provide support of $700 million to the E-Learning Initiative and assist with the implementation to build out the information and communications technology infrastructure, through the Tablet-in-Schools (TIS) Project.

In addition to facilitating the establishment of CAPs, the Fund also assists with infrastructure upgrades for specified public-sector institutions, namely the Parliament, judiciary, the security forces and libraries, to improve the services they provide.

In order to ensure that schools receive special attention, E-Learning Jamaica Limited was established to enable education in a digital format.