Free Wi-Fi link eases digital divide

RESIDENTS of Boac, the capital town of the island province of Marinduque, would soon access the internet for free in several public areas and schools as the local government works to plug the digital divide.

Luna Manrique, Boac municipal planning officer, said the municipal government is eyeing to set up Wi-Fi hot spots in the town’s plaza and at the Marinduque State College.

Boac, a first-class municipality (with an average annual income of P55 million or more) with a population of 56,000, is one of the pilot areas for the national government’s program to provide a free broadband internet access in public areas.

President Duterte, in his State of the Nation Address in July, had promised a fast and free internet connection during his administration.

Aside from Boac, 28 other towns in Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Pa-lawan) region will also receive free Wi-Fi access.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology is eyeing to provide internet connectivity to 1,462 towns and 44 key cities around the country, reports said.

“There seems to be a digital divide that people think of us in the island as somehow detached,” Manrique told the Inquirer. Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon