Whee ! Now that there is WiFi in town, all we need is electricty ! An educuation that will teach us to read & write will help as well, instead of the hands-on training selling empanada, shining shoes, seeling fruit in traffic and driving a motoconcho, that we now get. Oh I already know how to wash a Land Crusier and make it shine like new. Thanks.. and thank you for the WiFi.

Lol lol ,but sadly true Juango ... In America our parents used to say , ''Do you think money grows on trees ?'' I guess they think Pesos grow on line in the D.R ? Now young Dominicans will have the opportunity to acquire all the knowledge they want and virtually no opportunity to apply that knowledge... Hey , look on the bright side ! Atleast they can shop for thier motoconchos on e- bay and if the Haitians have already takin all the good spots under the barstools and bustops, they can rest thier monitor on top of thier shine box !./.... Will that be Apple or Macantosh ?

This is great news. This can only be positive no need for the negativity. There are many educational things kids can do online.

Ben,
most people will use this to chat on msn or upload photos photos on myspace for their boyfriend or girlfriend in USA could see them and go back for them. It will also be used to download tons of illegal music for sale on the streets. The bright side is that they might meet people from USA or Europe and get married and leave the island legally. This is all a plan to get people out of DR so they can send more cash back to the family in DR.

Sure , but who is going to provide these people that cant even read and write with the education and computer skills they need to use it...? Bill Gates isnt going to do it and hes not going to pay for the professors to do it either. But your right Ben ,,Nothing negative ,,Its a Great idea ! when its raining to hard to play Dominos on the front porch , they can play solitaire..

Not to mention all the problems they will have to deal with as a result of that great sex education program the country is recognized for...They dont have good filters for the drinking water yet , I doubt the computers will have any .....( maybe they can borrow some from the French).

Is this fair for the people that have to pay for internet???

Lets ask the Haitians living in Puerta Plata Xwill ....LOL

High speed internet in DR is not cheap per month and now they want to give it for free??? They need to provide it for free in all towns

I support development of communities on the DR, but this is more of a publicity stunt than anything else. Most of money Indotel has comes from the taxes come from the taxes applied to paying customers of communications services, so in fact, we paying users are funding this projects. Id rather see them putting the money intosomething more targeted than in a wifi network that anyone can use regardless of it they can afford it.

I wish that they would try to make every inch of the island to have a strong cell phone signal

sadly, the observations of Juango and others are so true, even if they are ¨negative¨by other people´s standards. i visit many internet cafes in various parts of the island, and it seems that none of the adolescents or twenty somethings are using the terminals for anything more than downloading reggaeton and rap, and yammering with aspiring partners in chat rooms. not very much academic research going on, folks. especially when some of the internet cafes come complete with a boombox, which regales the client with the croonings of antony santos and aventura the livelong day. ask some of these users how many books they have at home, or how many they have read lately, and you just might be disillusioned.

Guys: I did not see it from your perspective. Since you guys live in the Island you can probably make a better observation than some of us. Its sad but true that this technology will be used for the wrong reasons. I personally believe that a state of the art hospital should be built in the DR instead of using funds for these projects. I once had the privilege of going to the Daria Contreras after an accident in the DR.

Also, Iphones, Itouch, smartphones, PSP, or any other WIFI device will become a bigger target for theift since a person with no PC can connect with one of these devices

You people are all so negative! I can barely stand to read any of these stupid comments. Every time any well-meaning progress is made in this country, you people put it down. You must be miserable in your own lives and probably do nothing yourselves to try to make the world a better place. Instead of praising the government for the things they do right, you turn it around and focus only on that which is lacking. You know who you are.

Im sorry you have such a distorted idea of what true progress means in a third world country Arturo ..Nobody loves the D.R as much as I do which is why i choose to live there . In many ways its the lack of progress and simplicity of life that attracted me there the most ..The sad reality is , that only a small minority will benefit from cyber space advancements or any other advancements for that matter whileThe majority of poor Dominicanos will remain in the stone age ... This is why I say to all you one time visitor 3 day all -inclusive discovery explorers that you should live there for 6 months and experience the realities of your little paradise before you apply for an editors position with D.R for DUMMIES..

Bailarin,

I am Dominican, born and raised. I live here now and I know my people! There are all kinds of people in every country. There are plenty of people seemingly "living in the stone age" in America! That doesn't mean that everybody should hold back progress until each and every one of them is brought up to speed. Progressing in life is a personal choice no matter where you live! And when institutions are doing something to try to help others on their journey to prosperity, it should be welcomed and praised, not put down. Those who want to advance and improve their lives will find a way, and those who are not motivated will stay as they are. If you are talking to me with your smug "DR for Dummies" comment, you are WAY off.

If the shoe fits, wear it Arturo , If not , put it in the salvation army box. So right you are.Choice is the key word . Not reliance on your Government to take care of you all your life while at the same time blaming them for all the problems you have to begin with .Example # 1. How does a Philadephia boy like me working as a pizza delivery guy for 6 years as a single father raising his 12 year old son alone barely making ends meet find himself living on a Floridian beach and owning his own business in the Caribbean 3 years later ? It wasnt because I have a rich daddy ...No , I simply made a choice to take advantage of an opportunity I might never have again .I couldnt stand listening to all the some day dreamers I WORKED WITH DAY IN AND DAY OUT . I took the 6000 dollars I had to my name and a beat up little mini van and jumped out in faith ..The best education we can give these children is to teach them that they have a choice and that thier not just victims of circumstance.

Bail,
Do you sell Philly Steak and Cheese sandwiches in Sosua?

No . Just Dominicanas and Haitianas lol ........(with or without cheese). Thats why the business died so fast . lol...... You know how starry eyed Gringos are when they get a chance to live the American dream ( more like fantasy ) and do something that nobody else in thier graduating class would ever dare to attempt outside that realm .When the merengue stops, the brugal wears off and the money runs out ,at the very least we have bragging rights, a big rash on our sack and maybe enough change left over to hit one of those cabanas before we fly home with our over the limit credit cards and fish tales..

Bailarin,
I can respect where you are coming from and only ask that you do the same. Speaking of my country and its people as "living in the stone age" and as a third world country that lacks "progress" is very disrespectful, especially coming from someone who obviously is making money from an opportunity that he found here, probably making money off these "simple" people in some way.

If you grew up in Philadelphia, you were born WEALTHY. You can't understand this because you don't see that everything was already there for you...affordable mass transporation, roads, public schools, welfare/social security programs to catch you when you fall. Your great grandfather (assuming that your Philadelphia roots are multi-generational) enjoyed much of the same. It's natural to celebrate your own hardships and how you overcame them, I celebrate it with you. But being discouraging and mocking those who are starting out with a lot less than you did is arrogant.

Bailarin,

I didn't see your last post before I answered. Now I see more who I am talking to. Quite disgusting and unworthy of an intelligent exchange.

Aurturo,
I know what you mean, I was not born in DR but my parents and family where all born in DR. When you come from an outside contry and start a business in DR, it is much easier than for a average Dominican to start one. Bailarin said that he had 6000 dollars... It would take many many years for an average Dominican to save 6000 USD or 210,000 pesos.

Correction Arturo , WAS making money... Not am .. Am I not among those who literally almost lost the shirt off his back as well as his life while taking advantage of that great opportunity that Uncle Sam provided for me ? Pardon my ignorance and arrogance ,but I see alot more wealthy famous athletes from the D.R abusing steroids and smacking balls out of Citizenspark field in Philadelphia than I do multi million dollar cheese steak franchises in Santo Domingo and I never saw an italian philly gal with one of those crowns on her head with a Miss Universe sign on her big chest .. I dont know what you define as wealthy ? but, It is certainly a relative term . I apologize if I have offended you my friend . Trust me ! I love the D.R more than I could ever love the U.S and it pains me as much as you to see the harsh realities of such a beautiful country ..But if Im not mistaken , igrorance is NOT stating the true facts , its being blind to the facts that are true, like it or not ..

Bailarin,
the merengue and brugal never runs out

Arturo , I couldnt agree with you more .. The life I lived in the D.r when I first moved there was nothing less than a moral disgrace and embarassment .(Even if I had made a million). I am not hiding the dirty facts of my own sinful life and if you;ve read my other posts , you;ll see that I strongly discourage and speak against that arrogant capitalistic mentality that the whole world has come to hate us for ..That shouldnt excuse my warped sense of humor though .. For the record ,I am a Born AGAIN child of God and was living like the prodigal son during that time of my life ..Like the prodigal , I came to my senses when I was eating from the pig stys and found my heavenly father waitng to forgive and restore me ..I now am very much involved with my church Which has a Dominican pastor planting churches and providing various missionary services throughout the country ..( selling cheesteaks and chicas are not among them )..Feeding and clothing and educating them with Gods truth is..

Bail,
You live and you learn

I hope I finally did , and you ???

Bailarin, nice stuff, my friend. i like your thinking. and, Arturo, what is negative about telling the truth, pray tell? nobody is saying that improved technology is a negative. the commentary addresses the lack of maximal utilisation of the technology. until you can take me to an internet cafe wherein the majority of the youth are using the computers to help them locate Madagascar on the map, or solve quadratic equations, then i reserve the right to make my silly remarks. all i ver see is people downloading Daddy Yankee, or talking to chicas via webcams. no good can come of that.

Yes, I have stopped jumping around from one girl to the next. I have dedicated myself to only one woman. Its not easy, since these days the women just throw themselves at me, but I have shown will power.

I agree Dread, thats all you see in the internet cafe. I think that Dominican students mostly all have one goal... To leave to USA or Europe. School is not on the top of their list

Amen and muchas gracias Dreadlocks ..

great more free wifi.....no medicine, broken schools, no luz, no books, no teachers....at least they have wifi..

guess its better than nothing.

at least those that have computers can download all the porn and reggaeton they want. the girls have more opportunity to chat and social network with more old italians and swiss at the same time....just my observations i see at the many internet places from SD to Spm.