TELECOMMUNICATIONS company FLOW says its fibre network has been hit by vandals again, which it said is threatening its ability to function properly, particularly in Montego Bay and its environs in St James, where the perpetrators struck this week.

The company, which has been shelling out millions of dollars to repair its cables when damaged by vandals, is now calling for help to stop the culprits.

“I’m calling on the authorities to help us in this fight. This cuts across many Government ministries as we are the enabler for most industries across the length and breadth of this country. We have to ensure that customers are connected and that economic growth areas of our country are protected,” said Stephen Price, FLOW’s managing director, as he surveyed the repair work in the Meadows of Irwin, St James, a community that has suffered from recent repeated acts of vandalism — three in the past two weeks.

“The ban against copper exports earlier this year has been useful as we have seen a decline in the vandalism of our copper network, but we are still challenged by the acts of vandalism of our fibre network, including theft of elements such as batteries and generators,” Price was quoted in a FLOW release yesterday.

FLOW said that last year it spent approximately $300 million on repairing and replacing damaged cables across the island as a result of vandalism and theft. “Given the recent spike in vandalism, the company projects [to spend more than] $200 million this year for replacement of the cables, in addition to the cost for implementing additional measures to further secure its network,” FLOW said last night. The cost, it said, includes moving aerial cables underground, encasing batteries and generators in special cages, as well as partnering with Crime Stop, where information leading to an arrest or conviction is rewarded.

Price further stated that operating the business in this way is unsustainable, as critical funds for investment to connect more communities across Jamaica had to be redeployed to repair the vandalised infrastructure. To date, the company has invested significantly in rolling out services such as high-speed Internet and sophisticated TV to more than 128 communities across the island.

The FLOW boss, meanwhile, urged the Government to consider stiffer penalties for perpetrators of theft and vandalism of telecommunication infrastructure. “We need more stringent fines and more long-term jail sentences for criminals who are keeping our people from connecting to the Internet and to essential services that they may need — the police, fire brigade and ambulance service,” said Price.

FLOW asked that “people who notice suspicious activities around our cables and infrastructure should call the police at 119 or Crime Stop at 311”.