Draft telecoms liberalisation bill circulated

Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T) and Digicel have confirmed that they are in receipt of copies of the draft telecoms legislation, which when finalised will be sent to the National Assembly for assent, paving the way for the liberalisation of the entire sector. Last week local newspaper Stabroek Business reported on the completion of the draft telecoms bill, which addresses issues including the termination of GT&T’s voice and data services monopoly, the administration of spectrum management regulations, regulations governing interconnection and access, competition, consumer protection, pricing and frequency authorisation regulations. The new draft legislation reportedly also covers amendments to the 1999 Public Utilities Commission Act.