Commerce and Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell yesterday announced a $308 million (US$5 million) plan to provide free Internet access in poor communities across the island.

The "e-Jamaica" initiative will establish 60 Internet centres across the country by 2010, mostly in post offices, said Paulwell.

The programme is directed at communities "that continue to operate on the outskirts of the communications revolution," the minister explained.

Eventually, people will be able to use the centres to conduct online transactions like paying traffic fines and making national insurance payments, Paulwell added.

That phase of payment is to occur after the passing of the e-transaction act before the end of the year, he said.

The project, which will be funded by the government and the Inter-American Development Bank, also includes Internet training scholarships for 900 people.

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