…Dr. Luncheon says reform encourages competitive economies –
THE Government is confident that the proposed legislative and regulatory reforms for the country’s telecommunications sector will encourage competitiveness in the economy as has been proven in other countries in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon, told members of the press yesterday that Cabinet has examined the impact of the monopoly which the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) company has held for over two decades, as well as media reports that the company is concerned about the upcoming regulatory reforms.
It was reported recently in some sections of the media that officials at GT&T have expressed fears that impending new telecommunications legislation “would reward illegality and cause discrimination.”
The company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Yog Mahadeo was quoted in the press as saying that the phone company had insufficient time to study and respond to the draft legislation which was dispatched to GT&T in early November.
Dr Luncheon however reiterated Cabinet’s defence of the proposed legislation, noting that it is not as one- sided as the telephone company and its “friendly operatives in the media would have Guyanese believe.”
He noted also that Cabinet, after re-examining GT&T’s presence and impact, was of the opinion that the article might have dwelt on the infamous multi-privatisation give- away deal, its questionable 40-year exclusivity, and its consumer unfriendly advisory fee.
Asked whether there should be an extension of the public consultative process in light of the telephone company’s concerns about the proposed reform legislation, Dr. Luncheon assured that more time has been made available for them to consider and examine the circulated legislative and regulatory instruments provided in November.
A new deadline has not been set but Dr Luncheon doubts that it will be anytime in December.
The legislation has a two-fold objective of ending the monopoly and identifying the current, technical, regulatory practices on the landline and mobile services, spectrum management, pricing and inter-connection.  
GT&T’s monopoly on the telecommunications sector in Guyana has been in existence since it secured a licence in 1990; and towards the end of the 1980s, the Government took the decision to privatize telecommunications and advertised for investors. (GINA)