May 18, 2017:
Acting Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Colm Imbert; the Minister of Public Administration and Communications, the Honourable Maxie Cuffie and Minister of Works and Transport, Senator the Honourable Rohan Sinanan addressed the Post-Cabinet Press Briefing today (Thursday 18th May 2017) at the Diplomatic Centre, St. Ann’s.
Minister Cuffie addressed the issue of Information Communications Technology (ICT) and roaming charges in the region. He said that CARICOM Heads of Government met in February 2017 and agreed to a road map to harmonise ICT regulations.
He said he will attend a virtual CARICOM meeting tomorrow to develop an integrated plan to implement this roadmap.
This will address the issues of number portability and roaming charges. He said that the Bahamas is not a signatory to the CSME and as a result is not a party to the single electronic space. He also indicated that roaming charges in the Bahamas are 9 to 10 times more than many other countries.
Minister of Works and Transport, Rohan Sinanan provided an update on the progress of the short and medium-term solutions to the problems reported on the sea bridge.
Minister Sinanan said he expected the Port Authority’s board to make a final decision soon on the cargo vessel to be used in the short-term while it continues searching for a permanent solution.
The Minister also announced that both passenger vessels will be dry docked later this year - one in June and the other in September. The Board will charter a passenger vessel for six months to accommodate passengers while repairs are ongoing.
Acting Prime Minister, the Honourable Colm Imbert confirmed that the Commissioner of Valuations will be asked to extend the deadline for property owners to submit their Valuation Return Forms to June 5th 2017. He also fielded questions from the media.
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