Public invited to participate in review of JPS and NWC standards

3 years ago

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The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) will be conducting a comprehensive review of the existing Guaranteed Standards for the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and the National Water Commission (NWC). 

 These are minimum service-level agreements between the OUR and the utility companies to ensure value to customers.    

Specialist in Consumer Affairs at the OUR, Collette Goode, said the OUR recognises that the guaranteed standards for the JPS and the NWC have been established for more than 15 years.      

 The review is expected to reveal whether any changes are needed to the guaranteed standards scheme, in ensuring that it meets the customer’s needs.            

 The OUR will be publishing the consultation document in January 2021, to collect public feedback as part of the review process.

“We are, therefore, encouraging customer participation and for the public to provide feedback on that document when it is publishedFor further details on the Guaranteed Standards, customers can visit the OUR’s website at our.org.jm,” 

Goode said.  

“The comprehensive guaranteed standards review will also include looking at modifications to the compensation mechanism for JPS and NWC. This will assess whether changes are needed to the existing mechanism, to use the reconnection fee as the basis for deriving compensation for JPS as well as whether compensation for all NWC guaranteed standards should be made automatic. 

We’ll also look at JPS’s request to confer its existing guaranteed standards to overall standards, assess circumstances within which the JPS guaranteed standards would not apply, as well as look at the guaranteed standards for JPS’s prepaid metering service,”

 Goode explained.                                                 

    The standards can also be accessed through the JPS website, jpsco.com; NWC’s website, nwcjamaica.com, as well as the OUR’s commercial offices islandwide.