In a brief meeting over the telephone Wednesday, V.I. Next Generation Network board members learned that their broadband efforts are finally hitting some big milestones. According to viNGN officials, more than 200 anchor institutions are now physically connected to the network, and 111 of those sites are ready to be turned over to an Internet service provider.
“What we’re seeing now is live portions of the network that are beginning to provide service to the anchors,” viNGN Executive Director Lawrence Kpufer said Wednesday.
Four of the anchor institutions are also already being serviced by a local ISP, Kpufer added.
“We have eight Internet service providers currently signed up and we’re in discussions with another five or six, which we anticipate we’ll have contracts with in the next couple of weeks,” he explained.
At previous viNGN board meetings, officials have said that more than 1,000 local residets have completed the eight-week “Digital Literacy Training” course offered at viNGN’s public computer centers, which introduces the user to general computer and Internet skills.
The course was made available through a partnership with viNGN, CyberLearning Inc. and the
National Education Foundation. At the end of the training, participants receive a certificate issued by the State University of New York. After earning their certificates, users have also been able to access other training courses, and Kpufer said Wednesday that the program will be extended to Sept. 30.
In other news, the board quickly approved a resolution that would allow them to acquire property insurance.
