Telecoms Bill to be tabled soon – AG

With Public Tele-communications Minister Cathy Hughes set on having the Telecoms Bill tabled in the National Assembly before the end of this month, the proposed legislation is currently at the Attorney General’s Office for legal vetting.
This was revealed by Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams on Wednesday, as he gave an update on the status of the Bill when asked by Guyana Times.
“We are hoping to have both the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) Bill and the Telecoms Bill certainly taken to Cabinet soon and hope to get it to Parliament shortly after,” Williams said.
This comes days after Minister Hughes reiterated to this newspaper, her commitment to have the proposed legislation presented in Parliament this month. “It is my hope that it will come to the Parliament before the end of May,” she had stated last week.
GTT currently holds a 20-year plus monopoly over the sector and stakeholders, particularly Digicel, have long been calling for this control of the telecoms market to be broken.
The Telecoms Bill, which was first introduced in 2011 and revised in 2013, was with a Special Select Committee in the 10th Parliament and was near conclusion when Parliament was prorogued in 2014. The Bill is among 12 others that were recalled in the 11th Parliament.
Meanwhile, under the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration, the Telecoms Bill underwent a new set of consultations with the two main players in mobile service and other stakeholders including the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and several Non-Governmental Organisations before it was submitted to Cabinet for review.
Government had even appointed two overseas consultants, Janice Brendman and Geeta Ragubir, to complete the work on the Bill. The Telecommunications Bill seeks to create a competitive regime in the telecommunications sector. It provides for an open, liberalised and competitive sector that will be attractive to new market entrants and investors, while preserving the activities of the current participants.
By creating this competitive environment for telecommunications, the Bill is expected to result in greater choice, better quality of service and lower prices for consumers. The Bill also specifically addresses the expansion of telecommunication networks and services into unserved and under-served areas, through the institution of a new universal access/universal service programme, in an effort to further national and regional social and economic development.
At the launch of Digicel’s 4G Internet service on Saturday last, the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kevin Kelly urged the immediate passage of the Bill, noting that a liberalised telecommunications sector in the country will stimulate competition, which will in turn result in better services for customers.
Kelly added that once the Telecommunications Liberalisation Bill passes, Digicel will take immediate steps to introduce cheaper services such as Internet rates and international calls as well as the possibility of landline services.