Internet Providers should have no excuse for poor service- Premier Fahie
Citing a media report where ISPs claimed ‘Terrain Challenges’ was a reason for the poor delivery of service, Hon Fahie lashed out at the local telecommunications companies during the Fourth Sitting of the First Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) when the HoA met at its chambers in Road Town, Tortola.
Unsatisfactory Service – Hon Fahie
“Mr Speaker my first statement is on the internet services in the territory, you may recall recently in a public I highlighted the concerns of the population of the Virgin Islands (VI) that in essence the quality of internet services being received by consumers is unsatisfactory and the prices for these services are felt to be too high
Further the Premier continued, “You will also recall that I gave a commitment to start to work towards finding a middle ground, Mr Speaker, I read a news report in one of the online media channels recently in which the providers have advanced justification for why the quality of service is so low, and the price so high.”
The ISP’s had cited unfavourable terrain as partly responsible for poor internet reception which would result in escalated infrastructural cost.
However, Premier Fahie, in a statement on May 13, 2019, said it is self-evident that a modern communication network is crucial for the development of every economy, including in the Virgin Islands.
“Mr Speaker, although this information is not first hand, I’ve taken note of what has been said in the report until such time as the service providers are able to meet with me and provide me with first-hand data,” he said.
ISPs got Financial Gifts– Hon Fahie
Further, the Premier continued, “I would, however, say that these stated reasons raise certain questions in my mind, and certainly in the mind of ordinary… persons. Because the telecommunications service providers would have known about these technical issues before they applied for the concession to operate, and therefore I cannot believe that this is an after the fact discovery,” he said.
The Premier argued that the Virgin Islands (VI) government, in its aim to liberate the telecommunications sector by competitive industry in the VI that can deliver value for money, developed policies to encourage investments.
“A policy was developed under which the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission was established and mandated to keep the level of prices for services offered by telecommunications providers and the associated quality of these services under review,” he said.
Gov't lost $20M to boost investment
As such, the Premier said that the industrial levy that should have been collected from the operators to fund the commission was put on hold, with ISPs receiving $20,773,529 in ‘gifts’ from the Commission to improve their services, quality and price.
Further, he said, the sum that would have been payable in the Levy that was active from 2007 to 2020 was $8,621, 531.
The Premier was adamant that the quality of local services in the territory must improve and encourages ISPs to come forward will all challenges faced in the delivery of quality service.
“It is my belief that whatever challenges and obstacles exist in the path of delivering high quality and value for money should be laid on the table,” Premier Fahie said, while noting that through a collaborative approach, the government and the ISPs can map out a solution that is acceptable to all stakeholders.
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