Haiti's Newest "Hot Spot"

Paolo Chilosi, who runs Multilink, a leading internet provider in Haiti, boldly stated that the internet is as vital as food and water for Haiti less than two weeks after the earthquake struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.

MultiLink's mission hasn't changed much since Paolo Chilosi was interviewed for PBS's Frontline World Blog where he despaired over the volunteers that flooded the area already leaving Haiti. But Multilink persevered and this week they are again in the news. They, together with the Hotel Oloffson in Port-au-Prince, the Haiti Rewired Blog and Wired's parent company Conde Nast, achieved a goal that will hopefully keep the journalistic flow of information coming out of Haiti.

By providing a free, secured and reliable "hot spot" for journalist and bloggers, Multilink is helping to assure independent press stays active in Haiti. This is an important step to keeping Haiti in the public's eye.

This month will mark six months since the devastating earthquake. I spoke with Stephane d'Amours, chief communications officer of Multilink, from Haiti to discuss his views on the role of internet in rebuilding Haiti as well as why Multilink became involved in the Hotel Oloffson "hot spot" project.

As Stephane d'Amours reiterated to me, the rebuilding of Haiti is not just about "bricks and mortar but about building smarter" and connectivity is a key factor in creating a future for Haiti. One that will see better education and a government who's communication with its people is a two way street.