Consumers knock B.T.L. at committee hearing
It was hyped as the first official forum at which irate consumers could lay out a detailed case against B.T.L. and its newly imposed rate structure. And while it delivered somewhat less than expected, the public is now on record to lawmakers in its opposition to the current state of the telecommunications environment. Janelle Chanona reports.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
This morning the House Committee on Public Utilities held its first meeting to discuss the revamping of the telecommunications act, presented in the House last year. While some comments were technical, most presentations were philosophical in nature.
Margaret Ventura, President, Public Service Union
“We are requesting generally that government fulfils their manifesto promise to regulate public utility rates and protect the consumer at large.”
Nuri Muhammad, Member, CAPU
“Our fundamental point Mr. Marin, is the importance of not trying to catch the horse or the cow after it done get out a the fence, which appears to be the situation in this particular case. We’re also concerned with the seeming arrogance of this company, which at one point during this series of back and forth between B.T.L., the people of Belize and the government of Belize, one got the impression that this company acted as if it was free to do as it wanted despite what the government and people of Belize want.”
John Pinelo
“We are saying that we would not like the P.U.C. to exist only within the life span of a special party in government. They should go beyond, beyond the five years, maybe ten years, that’s a time span that we need to look at. So that these people are not there only to serve this party or that party, but can go beyond to serve the people. We believe it is and organisation that is supposed to represent people.”
Perhaps it was the familiarity of the faces, but whatever the reason, the Opposition’s representative Michael Finnegan was moved to question the chairman about the purpose of the proceedings.
Michael Finnegan
“How we can deal with it on a whole. Is that what is going on here?”
Vildo Marin, Chair., House Committee on Public Utilities
“Yes.”
Michael Finnegan
“Alright. I would want people who are here, to make presentations to show me how we can make this a better bill by adding or deleting et cetera. I think this is the purpose of this meeting. Mr. Chairman, I don’t want to give the public the wrong impression that this is any P.U.C. meeting. This is a meeting of the House Committee.”
Vildo Marin
“You came in a little late today, but in my presentation we stated that we will be discussing this bill which is before the House. But other people have their concerns, and as long as their concerns is a legitimate concern and not frivolous and vexatious, then I believe we should allow the people to state whatever they want and make sure that the concerns of the public, the concerns of the people as it relates to telecommunications is encompassed in the bill.”
But the presence of P.U.C.’s chairman Gilly Canton at the head table also stirred up some controversy.
Nuri Muhammad
“The legal representatives of B.T.L. could use the presence of Dr. Gilly Canton at the head table, in an area where he is not the chair, on a committee of which he is not a member, hearing complaints that would normally be directed at his office as commission. Just a point of clarification.”
But chairman of the proceedings, Vildo Marin, quickly quashed that comment by stating that Mr. Canton had been invited by the committee and moved on.
Next to take the floor was Juan McKenzie, chief executive officer of Intelco, the company likely to be B.T.L.’s prime competitor beginning in 2003.
Juan McKenzie, C.E.O., Intelco
“When you establish the standard of quality that people of Belize should receive, that will guarantee that the quality of the service that I give to people, or any other company give to the people, is standardised. Because…who was making a comment if you just say I can take away your licence, maybe it will be…it’s not political convenience, and I want to be clear that my corporation doesn’t get in politics, we are business people, but you have to have something that say if you don’t do this, this and this for the people, and you don’t have this standards, the Public Utility Commission could take away your license.”
Vildo Marin, Chair., House Committee on Public Utilities
“Certainly the bill will be amended to reflect the needs and concerns of the people and I’m more than sure that as responsible legislators, we will be sure that the bill reflects the will of the people.”
Reporting for News 5, I am Janelle Chanona.
Notably absent from today’s proceedings were any B.T.L. representatives. And in a postscript to a story we ran on Wednesday, company officials tell News 5 that despite persistent rumours this week that bills for December were being held up pending an internal rethinking of the new rates, it’s simply not true. B.T.L. maintains that until their lawyers indicate otherwise, the company will stand by the rates, which came into effect on December first. In related news, it has been confirmed that Ian Pluthero, a B.T.L. director and the Carlisle Group’s trouble-shooter in Belize, has been removed from both positions and will not be returning to the country. It appears that Pluthero is paying the price for failing to anticipate the public relations nightmare brought on by B.T.L.’s imposition of new rates which hit hardest those who can least afford them.
