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CCT will not be shut out! - Hon Vanterpool blasts TRC
Speaking in the House of Assembly during the debates on the 2016 national budget, Hon Vanterpool noted that the actions of the TRC are counter to the development of the telecommunications sector locally.
“Madam Speaker, increasing the quality and cost efficiency of telecommunications is vital to this territory to ensure even in the short term that we have good telecommunications. We must as a destination be able to offer competitive and comparable services to our businesses and residents and indeed our visitors at much higher broadband speeds hopefully in the region of 30 to 50 megabits by later this year.”
However, he said there are conflicts and issues.
Speaking as a policymaker
He made it clear that he was speaking as Minister responsible for policy as the TRC as a body is responsible for regulations.
“I am going to make it clear that I am not happy...sometimes I think that they are blocking the way to ensure that we can get better telecommunications. Indeed Madam Speaker, I am going to make it clear that I as a representative of this government will not from a policy standpoint stand without informing them that our local company CCT will not be shut out of what they are doing in terms of spectrum allocation,” he said.
“In fact I must remind them publicly that the spectrum of this territory belong to the Government and the people of this territory and therefore we want to make sure that the people of this territory benefit and therefore our local telecommunications company CCT must not be shut out on simple technicalities.”
The Minister said that even though the matter of CCT and the TRC has gone to the court, he is dismayed that the TRC appealed the ruling of the court case.
“I have to make it clear to let them know that they continue to be the regulatory body. But as a Government our local company will not be shut out and therefore I hope that they will ensure that all of the companies are well represented as they allocate the Government’s and the people of the territory’s spectrum to be able to upgrade telecommunications in this territory,” he said.
What's good for the goose...
“I know that will make headlines but I want it to make headlines. We must also make sure that whatever is good for the goose is good for the gander and therefore if you are going to ask certain things of CCT you should also ask of all the companies and if you can’t get it of all the companies don’t ask it of any,” he said.
During 2015, the TRC allowed only two out of three companies- LIME and Digicel- to apply for the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Spectrum (4G) to the exclusion of CCT. According to the TRC, the local company never applied for the Spectrum during the time prescribed and was using spectrum which the TRC claimed was unauthorised.
Another reason why the TRC excluded CCT from the 2015 Spectrum Award Process was said to be because CCT allegedly did not pre-qualify for the award because it refused to surrender the 850MHz spectrum, which the TRC claims it went ahead with unauthorised.
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24 Responses to “CCT will not be shut out! - Hon Vanterpool blasts TRC”
I congratulate the minister for sticking up for the local company CCT. Without them the other 2 companies will be free to charge whatever they want for mobile and internet service. Thank you CCT and thank you honorable Vanterpool for looking out for the local people.