Local telecommunication providers are soon going to be held to account for the internet service they provide, as government has said it is preparing changes to the Information & Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) legislation to make them give customers what they pay for or suffer the consequences. In a debate on a private member’s motion calling on government to act, many MLAs as well as the minister responsible derided the providers for the inadequate service and speeds and suggested it was hindering the country’s development.
Ezzard Miller’s motion asking government to address the common complaints that customers are paying for internet speeds that they almost never get was accepted by the government front bench and saw several members of the parliament vent their own and their constituents’ frustrations over the issue, which the ICTA says at present it does not have the legislative teeth to address.
Miller said that over the past year and more he had received countless complaints from people who were not getting the internet speed they were being charged exorbitant rates for by their providers and when they complain, the communication firms do nothing but offer an even more costly upgrade.
The independent member said the ICTA has admitted there is a problem but it does have the power to address it. Since the authority cannot enforce anything, he asked government to do what was needed so that it could. Asking for substantial fines, he said the communication firms have made millions of dollars in profit, and despite the liberalisation, there was still no real competition.
He said the jurisdiction should be getting better service and access to cutting-edge technology but at the very least companies should not be tying customers into contracts for a specific speed then not provide it, and when they complain tell them to upgrade. It was “unacceptable”, Miller said, as he urged government action.
Planning Minister Kurt Tibbetts, who has responsibility for the ICTA, said government accepted and was fully on board with the motion as plans were already underway to address the problem with revised legislation expected in January. Tibbetts said he knew what Miller was saying as his wife not talking to him because he is the minister and their internet at home was still not fixed.
“The ICTA Board has received complaint after complaint,” he said, adding that a draft bill to increase fines and improve enforcement was in the works. Tibbetts said the amendments to the law would allow people to avoid penalties for breaking contracts and switching service if they do not get what they are paying for. The law will also provide for random speed checks and sanctions if the telecommunication firms are not supplying the speeds people are paying for, he noted.
The minister said he, too, had concerns that the communication companies had rolled out services without having the capacity but without the legislative power, the providers were simply ignoring the complaints.
Several MLAs spoke on the issue during the debate, which was expected to continue Friday.
Arden McLean said there was no need to amend the law as licences could be suspended. Describing his internet speed as “crawling about as fast as molasses going uphill”, he said people were getting ripped off and the ICTA board was “sitting down like stooges doing nothing about it”, despite numerous provisions in law that provide for sanctions. He wondered whether the board had read the law or if they did not understand it or the power and responsibility they have.
McLean criticised boards in general. “They need to do their job and the minister needs to tell them … someone has to impress it upon them and if they are not doing their job move them,” he said, adding that people were quick to take board positions offered by government, not to give a service but to see how “they can benefit”.
He also blamed the poor phone service and dropped calls on the security services listening in to his calls.
Opposition Leader McKeeva Bush offered his support to the motion, adding that he did not think anyone was exaggerating about the poor standard of service and the extent of problems and agreed that the phones were being tapped by the police.
George Town MLA Winston Connolly stressed the detrimental impact the poor service could have on business and said that if Cayman was serious about competing with jurisdictions such as Singapore, it wasn’t anywhere near good enough. He said internet speeds never get close to the speed customers pay for and the firms continue to come up with ridiculous excuses. However, he said no one was making a big stink about anything in Cayman, he said. “We just bend over and take it.” Connolly said the government, of which he is a part, should enforce the laws.
Alva Suckoo, who has a background in IT and is heading up the e-government initiative, said that was at risk if the poor internet service being provided by the telecom companies did not improve. Despite the problems, Suckoo defended the board and said that, far from doing nothing, they have been crafting the amended legislation so that they can do something.
He said it was a capacity problem because the companies continued to sign-up clients without the ability to service them, so everyone ended up fighting for bandwidth, and the customer service agents didn’t help by arguing with customers and feeding them nonsense.
The debate continues Friday when the parliament resumes around 10am.
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Quelle/Source: Cayman News Service, 20.11.2015
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