The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) failed to obtain the Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) approval for lowering its long distance rates by up to 70 per cent, sources told The Tribune yesterday, with some suggestions that the move was a direct response to the Systems Resource Group’s (SRG) arrival as a competitor in the fixed-line market.
The normal procedure is to hold a public consultaion on moves that represent a material change in the Bahamian market telecommunications market, giving 28 days for interested and impacted parties to respond with their views. Yet no consultation has been held on BTC’s latest price changes.
Sources said that BTC’s licence makes it clear that as the dominant incumbent carrier in the market, its prices are subject to regulation by the PUC, with any proposed tariff changes having to be approved by the telecoms regulator.
Neil Hartnell, The Tribune
