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        Media Centre Media Release

        Media Release: OUR advises on post-Beryl telecoms charges

        (Kingston, Jamaica: 2024 August 29) Following customer complaints about the continued receipts of bills without service, the two major telecommunication providers, Digicel and Flow have confirmed with the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) ‘no usage charge’ for the period of interruption since Beryl, for customers whose service is unrestored.

        However, all customers who have had service prior to and after Beryl are required to pay the charges on their bills.

        Cable & Wireless Jamaica Ltd. and Columbus Communications Jamaica Ltd. (FLOW) is informing its customers without service since Beryl that:

        • Their bills should not reflect any usage charges for the period of interruption.
        • The rental charges that are billed to customers’ accounts despite the service interruption are a function of FLOW’s billing system and will be reversed once service is restored.
        • Customers will not lose their number if they do not pay the rental charges applied during the period of service interruption.

        FLOW has also said that its fixed service customers who had service interruptions for more than seventy-two (72) hours because of the hurricane, will benefit from a one-time rebate. This one-time rebate will be automatically applied to customers’ bills immediately following service restoration.

        Digicel has confirmed that:

        • Bills for customers that were out of service should not reflect any usage charges for the period of interruption since Beryl.
        • For postpaid mobile and Digicel Plus customers, rebates will be applied to account holders who lost service, based on the number of days lost.

        The OUR is urging customers of the telecommunications providers to …

        Contact the OUR immediately if:

        • You are not satisfied with your utility providers’ response.
        • You are told to pay the bill or the service will be disconnected.
        • You receive no response within 30 working days.

        —30—

         Contact OUR’s Public Affairs Unit: publicaffairs@our.org.jmor 876-968-6053

        OUR Consumer Contact Details:

        Office of Utilities Regulation
        3rd Floor, PCJ Resource Centre
        36 Trafalgar Road
        Kingston 10

        Tel: 876-968-6053
        E-mail: consumer@our.org.jm
        Website: www.our.org.jm
        Facebook.com/officeofutilitiesregulation
        https://x.com/theourja

        Toll Free from land lines: 888-CALL-OUR (2255-687)

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        36 Trafalgar Road,
        3rd Floor,
        PCJ Resource Centre,
        Kingston 10,
        St. Andrew,
        Jamaica, W.I.

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        Privacy Overview

        Data Protection — Privacy Notice for Information Request
        This privacy notice tells you how the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) collects and uses the personal data of individuals who will participate in our Satisfaction Survey for Major Service Providers.

        What Types of personal data are we collecting?

        • Names
        • Job Titles
        • Work contact number
        • Work email address

         

        What is the legal basis for asking for this information?
        The legal basis for collecting personal data is legitimate interests.  The OUR is requesting information based on its legitimate interest in conducting this survey, which necessitates obtaining personal data. The legitimate interest, in this case, relates to fulfilling the project's purpose.

        Why are we asking for this information?
        The OUR believes it is important to assess the views of various participants in the electricity, telecommunications, and water and sewerage sectors it regulates, particularly the major service providers: Jamaica Public Service Company Limited, the National Water Commission, FLOW, and Digicel Jamaica Limited. Through this research, the OUR aims to evaluate these major service providers' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions specifically regarding:

        • the roles and functions of the OUR.
        • the service providers' knowledge and perception of the OUR and
        • the extent to which the service providers believe the OUR is performing satisfactorily and executing its mandate efficiently.

        The OUR intends to utilize the research findings to review its processes and procedures related to these major service providers.

         

        What will we do with personal data?

        The data will be used to contact participants to provide opportunities to collect qualitative and quantitative data for analysis. The information will be kept on a secured server, where it will be stored in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 2020 for four (4) years.

         

        How will we protect personal data and how long will it be stored?

        We have implemented appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure that we keep personal data safe and comply with data protection laws. The information will be stored on a physically secured server, accessible only to authorized personnel. The OUR has implemented several controls to protect the data, including password protection, multi-factor authentication, firewalls, anti-virus software, VPNs, and Data Encryption.

        The personal data will be stored for four (4) years, after which it will be disposed of in accordance with the OUR Business Classification Scheme and Records Retention and Disposition Authority.

         

        Who will utilize the personal data?

        The data will be collected by a third-party consultant who will be conducting the survey.

         

        What are the rights of data subjects?

        Participants can change their minds or withdraw their consent to use their personal data at any time.

         

        Participants have the right to ask us to delete their personal data. To do this, they can send an email to dpo@our.org.im. They also have the right to ask us to update and rectify the personal data that we hold about them.