THE JAMAICA Labour Party says the increases in telephone rates announced Monday are "outrageous" and a betrayal of the people.
In a release on Wednesday, the opposition party's Standing Committee accused the government of, "betraying the Jamaican people by agreeing to an outrageous increase of up to 53 per cent in local telephone rates" paid to Cable & Wireless Jamaica.
The JLP said the government should have taken into account several mitigating factors: "While the insistence of the US Government on the reduction of the international rates for calls to Jamaica has reduced C&W's revenues, this could not be redressed immediately; householders now have to pay for their house wiring, purchase extra telephone instruments and pay for repairs on their premises; and there is the fact that customers with analogue phones will have to change to digital instruments, which could affect as many as 40,000 customers."
The JLP said in some areas as many as 20 per cent of customers have had their telephones disconnected because of an inability to pay their bills.
"The party is calling attention to the fact that all of these issues should have been addressed in the new Telecommunications Bill which was passed earlier this year," the statement said.
The JLP had strongly opposed the provisions of the Bill during its passage through the House, on the grounds it had given too much power to C&W and would act against the best interests of the consumers.
