Minister: Independent Telecoms Regulator Within 12-18 Months

Jamaica is likely to have a new regulator dedicated to the telecoms and media sectors within 12 to 18 months, government news service JIS quoted Jamaica's information and development minister Colin Campbell as saying.

Campbell spoke of the creation of a "single" regulator for the sector, implying that the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) would no longer have a say on telecoms matters.

The new regulator "will manage the entire telecommunications and broadcasting environment, dealing with the issues of licensing, universal service obligation standards and of course, the most important issue of content," he said.

Jamaica's cabinet is scheduled to hold a final discussion on Monday (Sept 11) regarding recommendations the government has drafted as a result of two studies into changes for regulation of the telecoms and media sectors, he added.

"In Jamaica, the combined telecoms media market is now reaching approximately 100.000bn Jamaican dollars (US$1.51bn) in value, an almost unbelievable figure since we liberalized the media in the early 1990s and the telecoms industry in 1999," Campbell said.

"One estimate puts the combined radio, television and newspaper advertising market at over 6bn [Jamaican] dollars per year and up to the first quarter this year, in excess of 700mn [Jamaican] dollars was spent," he added.

BNAmericas.com"

Posted to the site on 11th September 2006