Скачать или смотреть Former Prime Minister Dean Barrow Addresses Legal Implications of BTL's Acquisition of SMART

In continuing the matter of the legality of a monopoly in the telecommunication sector, the issue was highlighted this month by former Public Utilities Commission Chairman John Avery, who had questioned whether the acquisition would violate the very laws designed to promote competition in the sector. Avery, who served as PUC Chairman for twelve and a half years, has argued that eliminating competition through a buyout is not a lawful option.  According to Avery, the justification offered by BTL, that competition results in a redundancy of assets, only reinforces concerns that the real intent of the acquisition is to eliminate Speednet as a competitor. He noted that BTL does not require Speednet’s infrastructure or license to survive, pointing out that BTL already earns more than all other telecommunications providers combined.  Avery further emphasized that Belize spent nearly four decades and hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds transitioning away from monopoly control and toward a competitive telecommunications market. As a matter of fact, former Prime Minister Dean Barrow addressed the legal implications of the proposed acquisition and whether it may be in violation of the Telecommunications Act. Barrow also reflected on the 2011 nationalization of BTL, explaining that one of his objectives at the time was to safeguard the sector from future monopoly control once another administration took office.

It is to be noted that the Public Utilities Commission declined to grant an audience to the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, which has publicly opposed the proposed acquisition and called for full regulatory scrutiny

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