THE RIGHTS of electricity consumers will continue to be protected, despite the exemption of the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPSCo) from the provisions of the Fair Competition Act, says Minister of State for Industry, Commerce and Technology, Colin Campbell.
Mr. Campbell was speaking in the House of Representatives, as he piloted the exemption measure through the House on Tuesday.
Reacting to charges from Opposition Members that the exemption would expose the public to abuse by the company, Mr. Campbell said that while the Fair Trading Commission regulated the market and prevented abuse of dominance, it was the OUR which was established to protect the consumers.
"The Fair Competition Act does not regulate the JPSCo in any shape or form, what it does is to regulate the market. It prevents the abuse of dominance. When players in the market do things, then you can appeal to the Fair Trading Commission for action to prevent abuses," he said.
Mr. Campbell said that the Government is about to sign a licence with the new majority owners of the JPSCo, US company Mirant, for 20 years to provide electricity and the exemption will affect the company's generation, transmission, distribution and supply of electricity.
He said that it was not an attempt to take away regulatory powers, as it was exempting an activity as the law requires and did not prevent anybody from lodging complaint against the company to the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR).
Opposition Leader Edward Seaga said that the Government would regret its decision to divest the distribution of electricity to the foreign-owned company. He said that distribution needs to be operated on the Government's terms and not on the company's.
JLP Spokesman on Industry and Commerce Karl Samuda said that the exemption would remove the "only check and balance" against the bad practices of the company and would leave the public at their mercy.
JLP Spokesman on Finance Audley Shaw said that it was unfair that the House should approve an exemption for the JPSCo, after it had been sold to a foreign corporation.
