Minister knocks BTL…again

Last month as he addressed a group of freshly minted police officers, newly appointed Minister of Home Affairs Maxwell Samuels departed from his script to level a blast at what he called the unjustified rate hikes imposed by B.T.L. Last night on One on One with Dickie Bradley, he was at it again and the former communications minister said he has no regrets.

Maxwell Samuels, Min. of Home Affairs

“I think the actions of BTL in imposing these high tariffs on telephone usage in the country was mean-spirited, thoughtless and not at all helpful. They needed to be criticised, and I’d do it again.”

The action will heat up again on Wednesday as the Committee for Action on Public Utilities has called for a second day of protest. Demonstrators are asked to assemble at Constitution Park at 10:00a.m. for a march to Battlefield Park and rally. With the Public Utilities Commission temporarily enjoined from holding hearings on the new rates, it appears that consumers unhappy with the situation will have to take matters into their own hands. Under the new rate structure, prices of international, national long distance, internet and cellular calls were reduced between ten and thirty percent, while local calls and line access were raised by one hundred and one hundred and fifty percent respectively.