The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was established on March 1, 2000 under the provisions of the Public Utilities Commission Act, 1993. It was established for the economic regulation of electricity, telecommunications, and water and sewerage services. However the PUC only regulates telecommunications, including management of the radio frequency spectrum, at this time. It will commence regulating the other sectors on dates to be determined by the Government. The PUC is to operate with a high level of autonomy. It receives direction from the Government by means of the Telecommunications Act, 1999 and the Telecommunications Sector Policy, a document that is required by the Act to be gazetted and is, therefore, an official policy document. It is the PUC's responsibility to see that the policy is implemented.

Objectives

The objectives of the Telecommunications Act are to:

• Ensure the provision of telecommunications services that satisfy reasonable demands and facilitate the availability of new telecommunications services;
• Ensure that efficient service providers may charge rates sufficient to finance the provision of their services;
• Protect the interests of consumers in respect of prices and quality of services;
• Promote competition in the telecommunications sector; and to
• Promote efficiency and economy on the part of service providers.

Duties

The principle duties of the PUC are to:

• Advise the Government generally in relation to the telecommunications sector
• Issue, modify, enforce and revoke licences;
• Regulate inter-connection of telecommunications systems;
• Manage the allocation of numbers for telecommunications services;
• Regulate Manage the radio frequency spectrum;
• Set standards for telecommunications equipment;
• Regulate the prices of Dominant service providers;
• Promote sustainable competition in the provision of telecommunications services in such a way as to achieve the objectives of the Telecommunications Act and implement the Telecommunications Sector Policy.

Partnership with Utilities

The PUC will work closely with service providers to:

• Achieve high quality service for consumers;
• Monitor and quantify improvements in customer service;
• Develop incentives for improvement in customer service;
• Introduce Consumer Performance Service Indicators;
• Publish reports on how service providers meet Performance Service Indicators; and,
• Implement service guaranteed schemes for major licence holders.