Camera Roberts of the Universal Service Fund assists Kenroy Johnson, a Clarendon resident, in connecting to free public Wi-Fi in Chapelton on December 10. Technology Minister Daryl Vaz pledged to deliver universal Internet service across Jamaica by 2025.
Former Technology Minister Phillip Paulwell is urging the Government to consider applications for another fibre-optic licence to generate greater competition, which, he insists, is needed to improve service standards and to drive down costs.
He also called on the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology to revisit stipulations in the 2015 licence agreement granting the country’s two major telecommunications firms the right to build out their 4G LTE networks.
Opposition Spokesman on Finance, Julian Robinson, yesterday reiterated his call for the Government to remove the taxes from tablets and laptop computers.
Robinson, who was responding to a statement in Parliament from Technology Minister Daryl Vaz, said the country would only be giving up about US$5 million in revenue. What you give up in the revenue, you will more than make up in the contribution to national deveopment by ensuring that kids have access to education, Robinson said.
The use of tablets and laptop computers has become critical since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of schools. Vaz said yesterday that the Government recognises the need for a digital revolution throughout the society, and stressed that the distribution of tablets to teachers and students is of such vital importance.
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