JAMAICA Labour Party (JLP) caretaker for St Thomas Eastern Delano Seiveright is calling on the nation’s major telecommunications and media companies to address poor signal issues plaguing many areas of the constituency.

Seiveright said that it is “simply unacceptable that thousands of citizens just an hour to a hour-and-a-half outside the capital city of Kingston are deprived of decent cellular, TV and radio signals in the 21st century. I am also appalled at the fact that Bath, a historic and major town in St Thomas, has little or no service from one major cellular service provider.”

Seiveright noted that the telecommunications and electronic media service problems serve to reinforce St Thomas’ status as a neglected and forgotten parish that is now ranked as Jamaica’s poorest. It also turns away investment, limits information and further encourages many of its youth to leave in search of a more modern way of life.

The JLP caretaker noted that if improvements aren’t made, he will in conjunction with JLP spokesperson

for Telecommunications,

Dr Andrew Wheately, aggressively lobby the Office of Utilities Regulation, the Broadcasting Commission and civil society to pressure the entities into addressing the problems.