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58 59 sored under the Obama administration and took about $140 million in federal and local money to do a complete fiber-optic infrastruc- ture system connecting the three islands. Under the connected, infrastructure system, we are on a speed of one gigabyte per second with the capacity to go to ten gigabytes. So, the Virgin Islands can become the technological hub of this hemisphere.” In addition to its high-speed connectivity, Mapp also touts the Virgin Islands’ tax struc- ture as a powerful incentive that can attract a new cadre of technology-based businesses. “By being in Ireland, Microsoft and Apple are paying a tax rate of about 12 percent,”he says.“But they still have to keep the money abroad, because if they bring the money into the U.S., they’ll be taxed at a higher rate. But if that same operation was in the U.S.Virgin Islands, because of a grant of the U.S Congress, giving the government of the Virgin Islands the ability to abate a company’s federal tax obligation, those funds could have a net tax rate of three percent. It’s our responsibility now to demonstrate that we have the technology plat- form and infrastructure to hold such an operation and that we have the energy costs that do not blow the tax incentives out of the window.” Before his term(s) as Governor is through, Mapp would like to accomplish the following: 1) Seeing that the Virgin Islands have parity in THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS federal infrastructure dollars, especially as it pertains to roads; 2) Modernizing the Islands’ healthcare system by taking full advantage of the Affordable Care Act, and giving its citizens broader access to the country’s Medicare and Medicaid programs; 3) Building a more robust private sector, including a growing inventory of hotel rooms, expanded sports tourism, a vibrant technology sector, and a broad finan- cial services industry; 4) Safer streets and communities; 5) An overall improvement in the quality of education with a greater emphasis on a junior and senior high school curricula that focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts, and math; and 6) A growing and robust agricultural sector “so that we can move closer to ‘farm to table,’ and move away from processed and sugar-laden food.” In January, 2015, Governor Mapp ended his State of the Territory address with the follow- ing words: “Our challenges require courage and hard work. The team we have assembled to lead our departments and agencies and our senior staffs do possess the training, experience, and know-how to help move this territory to a better place. But just as import- ant, we need each of you, our community’s citizens, to help push change forward. . . We are looking forward to working with each of you. . . and seeking common ground upon which we can build a brighter future for our people.”