KHJ News is receiving reports from various government departments that their work is not getting done because of slow or non existent internet service,
Some employees are seen regularly with their laptops or Ipads at places with wifi service answering official emails or sending out reports to their grantors.
Two employees who asked that their department m let alone their names not be disclosed, told KHJ News that they used to have good internet service until the governor’s directive to use the American Samoa Telecommunications Authority internet rather than their former provider, Bluesky.
An August 15 memo from Governor Lolo Moliga to all directors, CEO’s of authorities and offices of the American Samoa Government directed that they use ASTCA rather then its private competitor.
Lolo said it makes no economic and financial sense for components of the American Samoa Government not to lend support or to patronize services offered by other government entities.
In his buy ASTCA only memo he said,“We can find all types of excuses to justify our current practice of purchasing telecommunication services from another vendor. We cannot continue to undermine the viability of this asset of the American Samoa Government.”
One department with offices spread out in several locations reports that it submitted a work order for ASTCA internet service a few months ago and is still waiting for the service to be connected.
Federal agencies are also being affected by the slow internet service.
The Pago Pago Post Office retail systems, rely on the internet to verify addresses provided by customers on their packages.
Post Master Tao Suani says when the internet drops, and it has this whole week, it will take almost 10 minutes to complete a mailing transaction and this creates a line.
She adds that online teleconferencing and clerk training are affected by the intermitten internet service as well.
The Post Master said she’s working with the US Postal Service IT Administrator off island to confirm that it is not their system that that continues to drop the internet connection every hour this whole week. as ASTCA technicians claim.
