According to the VI Consortium, a transformative telecommunications project promising faster, more reliable internet for schools, hospitals, emergency services, and the broader community is one step closer to reality, as lawmakers recently advanced legislation approving a major coastal zone permit for Trans Americas Fiber US, LLC to land a new submarine fiber optic cable on St. Croix.
The article also said the project also comes with advantages for the government, as the Division of Coastal Zone Management successfully negotiated free bandwidth service. Trans Americas Fiber US had said they are committed to “free bandwidth to the Government of the Virgin Islands.” Schools, hospitals, and emergency services now stand to benefit from “faster, more reliable internet access at no cost.”
Trans Americas Fiber will connect 2,000-km cable from Florida, boosting speeds for public institutions and saving $200K annually. USVI lawmakers voiced concerns on the environmental impact of the project and seeked written guarantees and oversight to prevent past environmental mistakes. The Trans Americas Fiber agreed to submit a water quality application and receive permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and stated that “the route was designed so it doesn’t interfere with any corals.” Read more about this project here.