– Digicel appalledBy Leonard GildarieNew telecommunication regulations which were expected to be passed by the National Assembly yesterday was at the very last moment deferred to the next Parliament.The move has since been met with a swift denouncement by mobile giant, Digicel, which had been hoping for the enacted laws to develop its international calls portfolio.Digicel Guyana CEO, Gregory DeanThe regulations would have seen, government says, new telecoms players entering the market,Air Max 90 Black Leather, introducing newer, improved services to the country.In a surprising twist yesterday,Cheap Jerseys, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee asked for the considerations of the bills to be deferred to the next Parliamentary sitting. Rohee was standing in for the absent Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, whose responsibilities include the telecoms sector.As yesterday was the last sitting of the Ninth Parliament, this meant that the Telecommunications Bill and Public Utilities Commission Amendment Bill will not be passed and enacted this year.Parliament is constitutionally mandated to dissolve to make way for the National Elections scheduled to be held by yearend.PPP/C Member of Parliament,Cheap Jerseys From China, Gail Teixeira, questioned about the decision to have the matter considered in the new Parliament, disclosed that significant comments were made that warranted the deferral. She declined to elaborate.Government has signaled its intentions for a number of years now to break what was described as an ironclad monopoly of the partially state-owned Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T).GT&T’s parent company, Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN), had signed an agreement under the former People’s National Congress (PNC) administration to take over the government-controlled Guyana Telecommunication Corporation (GTC).UNHAPPY GOVERNMENTThe PPP/C administration had been expressing unhappiness over the pace of developmental projects by GT&T, the new company which was formed from GTC, and one in which Guyana had retained a 20% share.The two bills tabled in the National Assembly a few weeks ago were initially sent a Special Select Committee to be studied and for adjustments to be made from suggestions from the public. It was expected to be passed yesterday.GT&T’s Chief Executive Officer, Yog Mahadeo, had expressed reservations over the bills and said the company had limited time to make its input last year. GT&T had also said that it stands willing to continue talks to government.GT&T has a monopoly on landlines and international calls.PPP/C’s MP, Gail TeixeiraThe company’s CEO had however insisted that the monopoly was one on paper, since illegal international calls and bypasses were rampant and eating away at GT&T’s profits.Contacted yesterday, Mahadeo declined comment.The legislation, when enacted, will effectively nullify the GT&T agreement and allow for other companies to enter the local market, offering a variety of services and benefits, including more bandwidth, more mobile service providers, more landlines and a host of other internet-related services.It will also address a number of Internet Protocol service providers – four large ones in Guyana – and other companies interested in offering services in the field.Under the legislation, the Telecommunications Agency, which the National Frequency Monitoring Unit (NFMU) will fall, will be the technical regulator while the Public Utilities Commission will function as the economic regulator for the sector.The Minister, will among other things, be responsible for developing policy, overseeing the agency and granting and denying applications for licences and frequency authorisations.Digicel appalledMeanwhile, following the news last evening that the passage of the bills had been deferred, Digicel Guyana, which has been an emerging player in the mobile market, said it is appalled at yet another aborted attempt at liberalisation in Guyana.“This statement is made in light of failure of Parliament today to pass the necessary legislation which would have brought an end to more than twenty years of a monopoly on international calls in Guyana. Despite months of consultations and commitments, the Government pulled the legislation at the eleventh hour.”According to Digicel, Parliament’s decision to allow the current monopoly to continue, crushes Guyana’s hope for lower international calling rates within the near future.“It also makes one wonder when the needs of the Guyanese public will take priority over the needs of ATN,Air Max 97 Buy Online, GT&T’s parent company. Digicel is requesting that details of the late submission, (and for) the reason for the withdrawal of the promised legislation from Parliament today (yesterday) be mad