In our March 2026 Community Chat, and with members of the Caribbean tech community, Max Larson Henry, Network Engineer and Founder of the tech company, Transversal, which is based in the United States and Haiti, and Liselle Yorke, a Communications Strategist based in the United States but originally from Trinidad and Tobago, the panel discusses:  What’s the news? Caribbean media at digital crossroads; Internet community networks: should they be just a stopgap measure? And the internet’s impact on the arts and culture.

 

This episode is also available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music.

The Caribbean is currently navigating a period of profound digital transformation. As of 2026, the region sits at a pivotal juncture where technology is no longer just a tool for efficiency, but the very infrastructure of identity, news, and community. Traditional Caribbean media houses are facing a “digital crossroads” defined by a struggle for trust and economic survival. The recent closure of major regional digital players underscored the volatility of the digital-first model in a small market.

In a similar vein, community internet networks were established to extend connectivity to rural or underserved “last-mile” areas where big telecoms refused to go. Though it might have been presumed that these networks should be a permanent fixture of the region’s digital architecture, the environment is changing.

At the same time, it must be acknowledged that this digital revolution is a double-edged sword. Changes are also occurring in the Caribbean arts and culture spaces, especially in terms of careers and the ways in which they are monetised.

These themes guided this month’s Community Chat discussions. Details on our guests and the specific topics are outlined below.

 

Introducing our guest panellists

Max Larson Henry is a network engineer, ICT instructor, and entrepreneur who founded Transversal in 2005, a company specialising in Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networks, ICT training, and mobile application development. His company partners with major tech entities like Cisco, Microsoft, CompTIA, and Ubiquiti, deploying applications across Haiti, Nepal, East Timor, and the United States.

Max serves as President of the Haitian Association for Information and Communication Technologies (AHTIC) and Vice President of the Haitian Internet Society Chapter. He has played significant roles in initiatives like the Cisco Networking Academy, the Haitian Internet Exchange Point, and the AYITIC Goes Global project (LACNIC). His contributions to ICT have earned him multiple recognitions, including the 2016 Digicel National Entrepreneur of the Year – Service Category, and awards from USAID and Harvard Business School for his pioneering efforts in mobile money and educational support in Haiti.

Liselle Yorke

Liselle Yorke is a mission-driven Communications Strategist with a deep commitment to sustainable solutions that benefit underserved communities. Based in the U.S., she has written about harnessing ICT for innovation in developing economies. She has 20 years of experience developing and executing communication strategies for non-profit organisations, with a particular focus on financial inclusion and social development.

Liselle has also consulted with and provided pro bono communications support to various organisations in the Washington, D.C. area, including the Institute of Caribbean Studies and the University of the West Indies Alumni Association. She earned her master’s degree in communications at Howard University and holds an undergraduate degree from the University.

 

The topics discussed

Our Community Chat kicks off with the topic, What’s the news? Caribbean media at digital crossroads, where, over the past three months, at least two longstanding Caribbean newspapers announced they were shutting down: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday and Stabroek News in Guyana, due to dwindling advertising revenue, declining readership and increasing costs. Although smaller news platforms have been shuttering their doors over the years, the loss of Newsday and Stabroek News in quick succession could suggest that Caribbean news media could be at an inflexion point. We discuss.

Our second topic focuses on internet community networks, which are often heralded as a proactive and community-driven approach to realise internet connectivity in circumstances where the traditional parties have not done so. However, in this exploration of the topic, we seek to answer the question, Internet community networks: Should they be just a stopgap measure? In a previous podcast episode, Max shared the effort and success in Haiti when you joined us on the Podcast a few years ago. However, in other Caribbean countries, such as Dominica, where community networks were implemented, especially following Hurricane Maria in 2017, there are now questions whether, though the initiative was appreciated and necessary at the time, it may have outlived its usefulness.

Finally, to wrap up this month’s episode, the panel discusses “The internet’s impact on the arts and culture”, using a recent article in The Gleaner, titled “Music streaming creates fewer megastars, more working artistes,” which highlighted trends in Jamaica’s music industry, as the jump-off point. In the article, the statement was made, “…while recording and publishing are easier than ever, the era of blockbuster sales achieved by Shaggy and Sean Paul is unlikely to return.” Hence, one of the questions we explore is, in our currently content-driven digital space, has the impact been similar across other artistic and cultural forms?

 

We would love to hear your thoughts!

Do leave us a comment either here beneath this article, or on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages, or via Twitter, @ICTPulse.

Also, if you or a member of your network is interested in joining us for an episode, do get in touch.

Let’s make it happen!

 

Select links

Below are links to some of the organisations and resources that were mentioned during the episode, or otherwise might be useful

 

 

Images credit:  L Yorke;  M L Henry; M L Henry (Facebook)  Freepik; Reza Image (Freepik);  Freepik

Music credit: The Last Word (Oui Ma Chérie), by Andy Narrell

Podcast editing support: Mayra Bonilla Lopez