THE John Reid and Thicketts communities in St Ann now have free Wi-Fi service, courtesy of the Universal Service Fund (USF).

The service has been made available as part of the USF’s Community Wi-Fi Programme, which aims to increase access to the Internet across Jamaica’s 63 constituencies and allow for greater digital inclusion.

At the launch, held in the John Reid community recently, minister of state in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and Member of Parliament for St Ann South Western, Zavia Mayne, said that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that in addition to traditional infrastructure, communities also need technology to fully function.

“The global pandemic has shown that outside of what we are accustomed to as being the norm for what communities need to function, we recognise that technology is also an essential element of being functional as a community,” he emphasised.

The state minister also highlighted the importance of the service now being available to students in the community.

Mayne thanked the chief executive officer, USF, Dr Daniel Dawes, and his team for “responding to the call from south-west St Ann”.

He implored the residents to protect the service and ensure that it is only used for positive purposes.

Meanwhile, mayor of St Ann’s Bay, Councillor Sydney Stewart, in bringing greetings at the Thicketts launch ceremony, called the provision of the service in the community “historic” and encouraged residents to protect it.

For her part, Member of Parliament for St Ann North Western, Krystal Lee, commended the USF for the work they have been doing to increase Internet connectivity across the island and thanked the organisation for bringing the service to the constituency.