‘Rethink head of JPS probe’

Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Senator Dennis Meadows says serious thought must be given to the appointee who will head the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) billing investigation to avoid potential claims of bias.

Meadows suggested that J. Paul Morgan (pictured below), the man charged with leading the investigation may not lend much credence to the investigative process, as he is a former head of the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR).

“J. Paul Morgan is a man who is committed and whose integrity is unquestionable. But the fact that he’s a former head of the OUR does a disservice to the investigative process,” he said during a party meeting.

Senator Meadows praised the Government for instituting the enquiry, and slammed the utility company for what he described as high energy costs and a faulty billing system.

“When I did my research, every state across the United States where these (new) meters have been installed, the common complaint is, ‘our light and gas bills are doubled’,” he declared.

“The JPS has a policy that if you happen to be a dual citizen, and live six months abroad and six months here, if you have been abroad for the last six months, the JPS policy compels you to leave on some appliance so the meter keeps running. If there’s no bill on the meter for six months consecutively, they will terminate your contract. That, in my view, is an abuse of the dominant position as a monopoly.”

Source: The Gleaner