Universal Service Fund Community Access Points & Public Wi-Fi Programme

Jamaica's statutory levy-funded Universal Service Fund (USF), established in 2005, builds Community Access Points (public computer labs) and public Wi-Fi to extend internet access to underserved communities; by 2023 all 14 parish capitals had free public Wi-Fi.

By September 2014, 188 CAPs had been completed (J$626M); by September 2025 over 400 hotspots served more than 150,000 users weekly, at an annual cost of roughly J$2.3 billion. The USF ran a J$2.8 billion deficit the prior fiscal year with a further J$2.08 billion shortfall projected for FY2025/26. No independent third-party evaluation was found, and Internet Society Jamaica has publicly flagged that expansion has prioritised tourist zones and that the network lacks child-safety filtering.