The executive director of the Smart Island program, Enrique Völckers-Nin announced that the five-year Action Plan required by the program was submitted before the deadline, complying with the requirements established by the federal Government.

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“Definitely, the efforts we have been making since we started the program, after Governor Pedro Pierluisi created it through Executive Order 2022-40, have paid off and allowed us to develop the Plan of Action that will ensure that the funds are used within the established terms and will ensure that the broadband infrastructure necessary to close the digital divide on the Island is built promptly,” said Völckers-Nin.

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The also Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Innovation, Information, Data and Technology added that “the agenda is ambitious, comprehensive, but necessary to increase the accessibility of citizens to high-speed Internet, while improving connectivity and the resilience of telecommunications in Puerto Rico.”

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As detailed in the five-year Plan of Action, the internet is considered an essential service, for, among other things, studying, working, receiving medical care, communicating and much more. This is one of the reasons why the development of projects that improve telecommunications infrastructure has become very important.

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In response to the need for a resilient telecommunications system, the main objective of the Smart Island program is to coordinate the construction of broadband infrastructure and authorize programs that support residents' access to this service.

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“This program is focused on actively collaborating with government agencies, the federal government, community organizations and components of the Puerto Rican telecommunications industry to ensure that all Puerto Ricans, even in the most remote areas of the island, have access to the necessary resources that allow them to enjoy high-speed internet so that they can receive the services they need in an accessible and immediate manner,” added the official.

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The four pillars of the program are focused on ensuring connectivity for all residential, commercial and government structures in Puerto Rico, so that every resident of the island has access to high-speed Internet through the correct infrastructure; quality and speed in the connectivity that reaches citizens to their home, business or office, guaranteeing a minimum recurring capacity of 100MPS/20MPS; accessibility so that citizens can obtain high-speed Internet reliably and at an affordable price; and basic knowledge in technology and digital tools.

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Under the Smart Island program, projects have been developed focused on improving connectivity, quality and accessibility so that each citizen receives high-speed internet, such as the investment of $50 million for the Public WiFi Program (Puerto Rico WiFi Public Access), which will allow, in its first phase, the creation of 190 public WiFi spaces in 46 municipalities of the island. The identification of the localities was worked together with the municipalities and these range from libraries, public buildings for citizen service, spas, public squares, community centers, parks, linear promenades, boat terminals, viewpoints, market squares, among others.

In addition, the federal government has recognized the extraordinary implementation of the Internet Subsidy program in Puerto Rico. On the other hand, $30 million was allocated for Internet Resilience and Hardening, a program that will allocate funds to Internet providers on the island to improve their infrastructure, so that it is more resilient to adverse situations. With these funds, suppliers will be able to purchase equipment such as electric generators, solar panels and batteries so that, in the event of an emergency, the service will continue to be offered.

In addition, in the coming months, a design project will begin with an estimated investment of more than $300 million in federal and local funds to build and bury optical fiber.

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For additional details of the Puerto Rico Broadband Program, and to download the 5 Year Action Plan, visit https://www.smartisland.pr.gov/documentos. Next week, the Plan will be accessible and available in Spanish.