Cromwell claims Hon. Fraser “destroyed” telecommunications market
CCT has accused LIME and Digicel of anti-competitive behaviour. Photo: VINO
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Minister for Communications and Works, Julian Fraser RA, is singlehandedly responsible for the unfair competition being practiced within the telecommunications industry, bemoaned talk show host, Cromwell Smith.
He expressed this opinion on his show Umoja last evening Thursday May 5, 2011, and added that Hon. Fraser’s recent warning to the alleged “culprits” to desist is a little too late.
“…he has done nothing about it for two years, and then to get up in the House of Assembly and talk a bunch of nonsense. It leads you to believe that he has a personal vendetta against the people of the Virgin Islands being successful or certain people in his country being successful. That’s the impression it gives and as a representative of the people especially one with a national office, can’t afford to do that,” Mr. Smith asserted.
Minister Fraser is singlehandedly responsible for the unfair competition being practiced within the telecommunications industry says Cromwell Smith.
The talk show host added, “He [Minister Fraser] does not have the luxury to be selective in dealing with the people of the Territory. He is to get the best service and provider for his people within the national economic interest …but not for the competition to come and destroy the local business.”
This is against the backdrop that the Territory’s telecommunications watchdog – the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) has launched an enquiry, which began on Thursday October 21, 2010, into the alleged anti-competitive behaviour of Digicel in pricing calls and termination services to other Digicel destinations in the Caribbean.
The complaint was made by local conglomerate, CCT Global Communications who is greatly affected by the alleged practices. CCT officials also accused LIME of engaging in anti-competitive practices in 2009.
In light of this, Minister Fraser on April 19, 2011 stated in the House of Assembly that he will not tolerate such practices.
Meanwhile, Mr. Smith’s guest Nathalio Wheatley, was of the view that the Territory’s leaders are giving too much support to foreign companies “in competing with local companies and it is not right”.
32 Responses to “Cromwell claims Hon. Fraser “destroyed” telecommunications market”
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why does this and his foolish friends get any attention ?
The minister brought us a competitive market, as CCT enjoyed a monopoly for many years, and refused to relinquish that until it absolutely had to. Who owned and made millions from that ?
Where was the “love for fellow man” then ? Now you cry foul, when the money river is slowed, and shared by others.
Integrity ? Hmmm…..
Agreed – Cromwell shut your two faced mouth! You disgust me with all your bull!
Is anyone is their right mind taking Cromwell Smith seriously? The facts and the record will show Mr. Frazer has done the most to save CCT from itself and to bring we the consumers fair and lower prices….another Crock trying to rewrite history but we are not buying it
He is, so what’s new? Water and Cellular services, he has a vendetta but come later this year we sending him home, WATCH@!
Your dead boring backside will never live to see Frazer going home….. We the people of the 3rd will put him back in office without East End tap whip!
HAHA NAAA WE WOULD BRING MR. FRAZIER HOME JUST LIKE WE BROUGHT HOME GOOD PROSPECTING IN THE BIG CUP…SO IF AYO KNOW WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU ALL PLEASE BACK OFF MR. FRAZIER…ESPECIALLY YOU BANKRUPT TALK SHOW HOSTS
HAHA!! I’m in the 3rd and we pushing OJ ALL THE WAY!! Fraser who?? LMAO!!! WHENNNNN!!!
Just the usual talk show host playing politics. Comwell and he talk show ignorant friends failed on the Biwater issue so thank Jehovah they found a new topic. Frasier please do not mind the noise we got your back we know the truth.
look what coming from a man who says what ever he wants, about what and who he wants, whether it is true or not and without out a second thought. ignorant people like that should never ever have access to the media to spread their propaganda and ignorance and arrogance.
Mr. Frazer is always sharp mehson…one of the best dress Ministers!
he should be the next premier…comwell smith talking piss as always..he is one angry black man
Premier where?? You mad or what! You want the BVI to become Turks & Caicos part 2? Stop talking nonsense my friend, take your meds on time so you won’t end up talking shit out of your head!!! How will he be Premier when Mr. Kevin Smith will be our next representative in the 3rd? Kevin aka OJ will be the next Minister of the 3rd District and will have a seat in the next HOA!! Remember, I SAY SO, REAL TALK!!! Nobody will vote because of petty bush contracts, we tired of ignorance, time for real representation from REAL PEOPLE who are ready to take on the REAL ISSUES!!!
Sea Cows Bay looks like a big nasty wart on Tortola’s backside and we will change that come next Election!! Watch it!!!
ha ha if you all think that OJ could beat Fraser then wheel and come again…all the work the mother is doing in the district campaigning for OJ will not help…Fraser is a winner going and coming and yes you heard it from me…he may very well be the next premier
Real Talk, you always spewing PISS, here are your words, “Kevin aka OJ will be the next Minister of the 3rd District you are looking for a man to be Minister for the 3rd District (which there is no such thing), and we are looking for a man who will be a National Minister (FRASER, next Premier), who we already have.
This is exactly the problem with you NDP BVI Investment Club Members, Sea Cows Bay does not amount to anything in your books, so you see the people there as just a means of making up numbers. The people of Sea Cows Bay has gone past that and has already aspired to the top. What can your OJ do for the people of the 3rd, sit in the Backbenck and beg Mark and Myron for pittance? Forget Kedrick, he will suck salt when it comes to him. And as for Dr. Smith, all he will get from him is I’ll see. So there.
Since comwell thinks he so popular and he has a big mouth I dear him to run for office! I dear him! Let’s see what will happen..ha ha hehehe
but vino done mess up comwell smith party so he cannot come any-more to run. Fraser you have done so much for this sector. because of you the rip off artiste at cct not charging us for incoming calls…..
ayo back off of vino dem school children dem say vino only report it like it is….
Cromwell….This man good in he head? Somebody need to turn down he mic when he get up to talk crap..waste of energy tryin to listen them kinda assusness.
tell this moo moo smith keep of fraser…1st let he talk bout how he sold all his land to foreigners and built his house on somebody elses land….let him talk that
This Punk Cromwell Smith should explain to us what Minister Fraser did to destroy the Telecommunications Market as he claims. The Punk is to coward and bias to to it, so let me try to help.
As i know it, when the NDP brought the Bill to the Legislative Council in 2005/06, it was Fraser who challenged it single handedly on the grounds of conflict of interest, where manny if not all the Members of the ruling NDP Government had Shares in CCT, the same company with the monopoly. And it was at that point the Speaker adjourned the Sitting, and at the next Sitting the NDP came back and many of the Members alledged to have Divested themselves of the said Shares.
Dont forget Clause 93 of the Telecom’s Act which provides for CCT to make a multi million dollar claim to Government for loss of revenue due to compettitoion. This clause was put in by the NDP and Fraser fought it as being illegal.
CCT charged every customer for incoming calls and refused to change, but as soon as competition came they got rid of it. Wasnt that a rip off? This Jackass could come up here bad talking the SAVIOR OF TELLECOMMUNICATIONS IN THE BVI (Hon. Julian Fraser RA) and we are here listening to this looser.
There is a lot more i can say, but God is above and the truth can be told by others. Hon. Fraser, I know that they are after you, but no weapons formed against you shall prosper: Isaiah 54: 17
the only person who is destroying themself is crazy man comwell smith end of story…NDP aint want he, VIP anit want he, PPA dead but did not want he, so all he have is a mike to chat more lies
Do you mean ‘mic’ as in microphone? Goodness gracious bad spelling takes away from your very true points.
Despite the bad spelling, you agreed with the comments I have placed that over a few typos.
I dont think he destroyed the telecommunications market, he represents politics and politics by nature hinders everything. The TRC caused this issue because they approached the industry by not wanting to do anything about anything, they would keep telling the companies to work it out themselves. this was very bad. i dont think fraser himself knows how to fix this issue himself,but talk about it and hope it fix itself, which is another formula for failure. before the trc jump all over the world saying more companies need to come in, they need to get the structure in place to properly regulate and level the playing field for all. They need auditors, a strong legal team, enforcement, monitoring/ engineering, marketing/public relations. they need to know the true costs of calls to deal with issues like what lime and digicel is doing to cct. Interconnection costs between carriers should be much cheaper than end user costs, for example: Delta cannot sell Domino gas at $2.00 a gallon and then turn around and sell the same gas from their own stations to customers for $1.00 a gallon. another example is Riteway cannot sell heineken for 10.00 a case to bobbies and onemart and then sell the same beer to customers at 8.00 a case. That would be anti-competitive. in Telecommunications their is a law against that. The TRC does not need to take a year to figure that out. Their lack of response and their very large delay tells me they are either very incompetent or very willful to CCT or they sat in their offices and have done nothing to build the industry. Either way they need to get their backside in gear and get the structure in place to regulate or go home. This is where frazer comes in.
I agree with you 100% “Robin Hood”. It tells me that Mr. Smith did not do his research and simply relie on making personal attacks on Mr. Frazer…not surprising as this is how he treat people he disagrees with!
Robin Hood: After the TRC end up getting all these things you mention, they might as well get themselves a Premier and a Governor, oh yea, while they are at it they can throw in an Attorney General too, for they will need a Cabinet. From the looks of things, you are indeed forming a Government. As to Fraser not knowing what to do to fix things, you are talking piss, because that is why he hired the experts.
To Talk Talk Talk i am glad you agree with me, this is why he hired the experts, because he is not an expert himself. You see you limit your mind to CCT, Digicel and Cable & Wireless, I am looking at more companies who may come in and claim the same issue CCT is facing and if they do not have a structure to deal with these issues then we will keep repeating the cycle and it sounds like you are for that. Remember we are beyond things like one person being the doctor, the judge and the governor at the same time. I hope you aware of this. The globalist open the BVI to the world and we need to be able to manage this. The TRC is not a political arm of the Government and they should do all they can to stay away from politics and simply do the jobs they were hired to do. So yes, you can call it Government, cabinet, what ever you want, they simply need the people to be able to properly regulate. Hey remember that little agency that was created by Cyril Romney. Financial Services. Today as regulators they monitor and license all the financial institutions of the country, including trust services and oh yeah they even got an enforcement arm call FIU. So I guess in your view they got a Government to, right? The TRC is following the same path, so is this piss now? GENIUS
This debate about CCT started when Alvin Christopher was Minister of C&W and not Fraser. I am talking about bringing about competition. He basically carried out the whole effort himself, without no consultancy or any advice of any kind. CCT concerns were why should he allow Lime or anyone in the Cellular Market before creating an even playing field with respect to Cable 7 Wireless maintaining a monopoly on Land Lines, Long Distance, Being the only access to and from the entire Country and many more. He was asked to take all those into consideration and then move forward. That did not happen, Politics took over. CCT was very ill prepard for competition and lacked any sense of innovation to be able to menuver in the new era. CCT had to adapt very fast to survive and all of it is credited to the staff their. We had them for dead and was poking Lime phones and services in their face all the time. it was the staff and staff only who got them to this point. It was the current manager who decided to grow a pair and start bringing the behavior of the Billion Dollar Carriers to the public. Given the accuracy of the accusation it is blatent that they are wrong. Now given the history and the lack of Government then, willing to act, here comes Fraser who have to pick this up. Now to be fair he put the matter into the TRc hands to resolve and structure the industry properly, because he Fraser himself does not have a clue of Telecommunications and its policies, the man is an architect, not a telecom engineer or lawyer. All the TRC did to date is become caretakers. They have not cause the introduction of any new services. They have not put out any policies to set standards for the development of the industry. CAN THEY TELL US THE PEOPLE AND FRASER NEED TO ASK THIS ALSO, HOW MANY NEW JOBS HAVE BEEN CREATED SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE TRC? CAN THEY TELL US IF THE BUSINESSES AND HOMES HAVE A CHOICE OF LONG DISTANCE CARRIERS, NO. CAN THEY TELL US IF THEY HAVE GROWN THE INDUSTRY BEYOND CELL PHONES, NO. CAN THEY TELL US IF THEY HAVE REALLY JUSTIFIED THEIR SALARIES, NOT. CAN THEY TELL US IF THE VALUE OF CABLE TV CHANNELS WORTH THE MONTHLY FEES THEY CHARGE US, NOPE. AS MINISTER THESE ARE THE THINGS FRASER SUPPOSE TO LOOK AT AND MAKE DECISIONS AND IF HE JUST SIT THEIR THEN HE IS GIVING CREDIT TO CROMWELL SMITH STATEMENTS. The NDP government gave three very high value licenses to CCT, Cable & Wireless and Cable TV that is worth billions in business relationships with other partners. They can partner with other companies on a service basis to bring additional services to the people instead of them having to go to the TRC. They can partner with companies for Long Distance etc. and much more. The value in CCT is not he hardware but the License. It is worth a fortune. These are the things that can help.
if I was CCT i would create CCT Long Distance, CCT Broadband, CCT Cellular, CCT Business etc.. and forge partnerships and bring these companies in to operate on my license and share the profits. I am a normal Joe Blow who read a lot about the industry and I can come up with this. TRC DO YOUR JOB OR FRASER SEND THEM ALL HOME. BOARD AND ALL. LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD AND CCT USED YOUR HEAD AND ACT. SO NO HE DID NOT DESTROY THE INDUSTRY, HE JUST DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT.
I am a normal Joe Blow who read a lot: Robin Hood, life should have been that simple, and the world would be filled with experts. I read alot. Do you realize that is exactly how Cromwel feels, he thinks he knows everything. Do you realize that even though Edmond, Elihue, and Carl ran for public office and lost, that they feel they know more about Politics than the Politicians, even those who have served for several terms.
This theorytical shit, is just that. Stop taking yourself so seriously. Even though you think you know so much, do you know why you are just a normal Joe, and not the running CCT? It is because people like you are failures at what you do. And do you know why that is? It is because you are cant see your own shortcommings.
I can see you going to Grenada and writing this same garbage about their Tellecom Industry as the recipie for fixing it. You know why? Because you read it. You dont have a clue of what a real issue calls for.
I can expect to see another epistle of crap from you later when you get back from church. I bet you are Biblical Scholar also. Why? Because you read the Bible.
To Mann, I am a Normal JoeBlow, perception given to you, and yes I do read a lot and watch a lot. In not sounding arrogant and not intended to be, There are insiders, who tell the insider, who tell the insider who tell people like you. I am the first. Normal Joe Blow is the best approach to the perception i provided you about me and is the reality I want you to live with. Focus on the contents not me and pay your taxes, pay your bills, take care of your kids and go to church and do the BVI well.
TIME FOR THIS MAN TAKE A BACK SEAT NOW,HE IS WILLFULL TO DON,T AGREE TO WHAT THE PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY AND GO DO THINGS HIS OWN WAY.ALL WAYS SAY LAVITY STOUTT AND CYRILL ROMNEY DO FOR THERE PEOPLE,AND MUST SAY PAUL WATTLEY ALSO WAS ABOUT THE VISION FOR THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY.NOW WHATS THESE FELLOWS INSIDE THERE DOING /?
Someone like you will be too dumb to see