ST ANN — Predominantly dependent on farming as their main stream of income, it is quite a strain for residents of Glasgow Lodge, a rural community nestled in the hills of St Ann, to make monthly payments to service providers.

The residents, however, have been relieved of one of their many burdens — to pay monthly Internet bills — after Glasgow became one of the most recent recipients of the Universal Service Fund’s (USF) Community Connect Wi-Fi programme.

Residents like Renae Balfour, who has been living in the district for more than 13 years, will now be able to have Wi-Fi access at no cost.

“The Wi-Fi is really helpful for us here because we can get to save the money that we would have to struggle to find for internet bill. Mi really glad for it, I’m not gonna lie,“ Balfour told the Jamaica Observer at the launch in the community on Friday.

Another resident, Norma Gillespie, was just as happy as Blafour. She said that she is appreciative of the ease of financial burden from the free Wi-Fi service.

“It is a good thing they have done for the community, especially for some of us who can’t afford to pay the internet bill every month,“ she said.

The free Wi-Fi service to the St Ann district aligns with the USF’s mandate to bridge the gap, ensuring that there is equal access to information and communication technology tools to facilitate development across Jamaica.

Principal of Murray Mountain Primary School Glenford Brown was elated about the initiative.

Majority of the institution’s students live in Glasgow Lodge, and he said that he is positive that the free Wi-Fi will be a move in the right direction for his students.

“This Wi-Fi connection is going to be an integral part of the community and drive it in many ways into productivity, and the community over time is going to see the value that this infrastructure adds to their livelihood,” said Brown.

He added that the infrastructure will also spare the parents financially, having witnessed their struggles.

“This is a community of farmers, so they don’t have monthly income and that is a challenge to pay bills, especially in long period of droughts when the crops die and they don’t have anything to sell. So I know with this Wi-Fi the children don’t have to worry about getting assignments done,“ Brown said.

Gillispie’s nine-year-old granddaughter, who is a student at Murray Mountain Primary School, started Friday to utilise the internet for her school projects.

“Most times the Wi-Fi that I have doesn’t pick up; it is USF Wi-Fi that she started to use to do her school work. It is also very strong because I live a little distance away from the set-up and it still picks up in my house,” Gillispie said.

Member of Parliament for St Ann South West Zavia Mayne encouraged residents to access the internet and provide an additional stream of income for themselves.

“You can stay in Jamaica and sell your items anywhere in the world and buy things anywhere in the world, we want to have the benefit of that in Glascow Lodge. There are farmers who can sell their produce online using this same internet connection,” he said.

The MP urged residents to take special care of the infrastructure, saying a lot of money was spent on its provision. “You have to own it, protect it, and reject those in your midst who are seeking to destroy it,” said Mayne.