Cable-less and Wireless

THE EDITOR, Madam:

FOR THE past 15 years my family and neighbours have been attempting in vain to get telephone service in Easington, St. Thomas. Telephone lines end a mile down the road from our home while they are installed in a community three miles up the road from our location. As if this were not bad enough, the location of our house excludes us from cellular service as we are sited in a river valley. However, once again cellular service is available one mile down the road. We are apparently in a telecommunications 'black hole'.

The community is primarily a farming community with a few landowners as well as a number of small subsistence farmers. There is also a small housing scheme within this three-mile radius. Some of the reasons we have been given for the present lack of service is that the number of households is too low. This answer simply is not good enough.

C&W of all companies should realise that times are changing and we are becoming a technology-driven society, even within our farming communities. The concept of the virtual office is a very real one for myself, other family members and neighbours who need to work from home. Not only are we farmers but we are also professionals who need the services of telephone, facsimile, e-mail and Internet access, in order to efficiently conduct business.

In addition to this we are at a loss in the event of any emergency such as fire, robbery etc., as it would mean driving (running) down the road to get cellular service. This situation is obviously not a very safe one.

Cable and Wireless has lost 15 years of potential revenue from reliable and paying customers, for Internet, and phone services.

Mr. Miller help us please, it is just a two-mile stretch of road. Surely it is our turn now, we have waited long enough.

We are etc., CABLELESS AND PHONELESS.,Via Go-Jamaica

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