OUR targeting improved service delivery from utility companies

Improved service delivery and the protection of consumer interest will remain a priority for the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) during 2024/25.

Activities in the telecommunications sector will continue to be geared towards facilitating access to affordable fixed and mobile broadband and Wi-Fi services and promoting competitiveness to foster innovation and investment.

These engagements are detailed in the Jamaica Public Bodies Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Year ending March 2025.

The OUR will continue to protect consumers through empowerment by providing access to suitable modes for redress and encouraging the implementation of reliable telecommunications infrastructure.

Additionally, the entity will support initiatives to encourage climate change resilience and environmentally sustained operations.

In the electricity sector, the OUR plans to support activities to encourage the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited to reduce the overall cost of electricity, improve the quality of service delivery, optimise system operation, and provide customers with more options in usage pattern.

The OUR will further aid efforts aimed at modernising and bolstering the resilience of the national power grid to facilitate improved and expanded services.

These include enhancing the grid's capacity to cope with adverse events like natural disasters.

Regarding water and sewerage, the entity will support initiatives aimed at sustainably reducing non-revenue water and promoting cost-effective pricing for water services by utility providers.

The agency will further promote uninterrupted access to water services, striving to minimise interruptions, while encouraging efforts to enhance water and sewerage infrastructure.

OUR projects a net surplus of $36 million, a significant turnaround from the $134.14 million deficit recorded the previous fiscal year (2023/24). Additionally, the organisation plans to maintain a staff complement of 76.

The agency was established by the Office of Utilities Regulation Act, 1995, with the mandate to regulate the provision of prescribed utility services.

Accordingly, the entity is responsible for processing applications for utility licences, setting rates where applicable, and monitoring the operations of prescribed utilities.

The OUR will continue to align its activities with the country's long-term National Development Plan – Vision 2030 Jamaica.

Additionally, the entity will continue to establish and maintain required rules and standards to regulate the various sectors that fall within its purview, taking into consideration the interest of consumers and private investors.

Promoting initiatives that encourage climate change resilience and environmentally sustainable operations across all sectors remains the agency's priority.

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