Telecoms Bill Debate Delayed

The debate on the Telecommunications Bill 2015 has once again been delayed.

The mover of the bill, Telecommunications Minister, the Hon. Melford Nicholas, explained the reasons for the postponement during Thursday’s session of Parliament.

Minister Nicholas said the management of the government’s entity, the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA), has expressed a number of concerns about the position that the company will be in as a result of the legislation.

The Telecommunications Minister says over the years, APUA has become somewhat of a “step child” in the local telecommunications industry.

He explained that in 2012, when the sector was opened up for competition, APUA became marginalized because its structure was not competitive.

The company is in favour of the bill, which seeks to fully regularize the telecommunications sector, but calls for further consultation before it is brought to parliament for debate.