He said that the issuing of licences by a regulatory body will coincide with a period of increased competition, with the March 2003 introduction of Phase 3 of the Telecommunications Act, which calls for complete liberalisation of the telecommunications market.

The Minister added that he believes government should focus on policy and should not be responsible for price setting and the signing of licences.

The OUR is currently the sole regulatory body for the telecommunications sector, but the Minister indicated recently that the Government intends to remove the regulation of the sector from under the OUR.

Minister Paulwell was the keynote speaker at the second meeting of the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OCUR) at the Courtleigh Hotel & Suites in New Kingston.

He told members of regulatory bodies from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana among other regional representatives, that common issues shared by Jamaica and the rest of the region include the need to re-define the boundaries between the policy-making and regulatory authorities. He also said the evolution of telecommunications into a converged market is significant and will occupy the minds of industry players in the new liberalised environment.

In his opening remarks, Director General of the OUR, Winston Hay, spoke out against people who had been maligning the integrity and competency of the OUR, some even suggesting that foreign experts are needed to regulate the Jamaican utilities.

He called on the regional regulators to support each other in their endeavours in the face of such criticisms.

OCUR is comprised of Caribbean regulatory bodies with functional responsibilities for utility sectors (telecommunications, energy, water, transport and gas). The three-day meeting ends tomorrow with the election of executive committee members.

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