A $1 million fine levied against the Bahamas Telecommunications Company by the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) will be used to help hundreds of Bahamian families following the devastation caused by Hurricane Joaquin, Prime Minister Perry Christie announced yesterday.
As the government, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), private and civic organizations push to get essential supplies to the southeastern islands devastated by the category four storm, Christie said URCA wanted to find a way to contribute, and managed to find a "win-win for everyone".
"What you see here is now a full accounting," said Christie during press conference at the Office of the Prime Minister. BTC was obviously fined for some infraction. They can determine whether they want to talk about it. URCA has decided that listen, that one good way of getting this back into the community on this occasion is in fact to donate to the hurricane efforts.
"So, it is a win-win for everyone. So, Mr. [Leon] Williams (BTC CEO) can sit here on behalf of BTC and smile with respect to this matter."
As recent as March, URCA fined the company $1.58 million for a March 2014 network outage that left customers without service for up to 15 hours. The regulator determined that BTC failed to take reasonable and practicable steps to maintain the proper and effective functioning of its telecommunications network.
URCA Chairman Randol Dorsett said the regulatory body sought to find a meaningful way to give back during this challenging time.
"The mechanism by which we are doing that is that the proceeds are coming from a fine that was levied against BTC, that they will be paying directly over," he said.
"And prime minister, we want through our efforts to encourage Bahamians and all others with the ability to do so to really give of themselves in this very trying time as best as they can to help the people of the southern Bahamas in this very trying time.
"And so, from our part we are grateful to be in a position to do it and we wish you the government and the relief efforts godspeed in bringing relief to the people."
Christie has pledged swift relief to assist residents get their lives back on track. He said the government will dedicate substantial resources to address infrastructure. He called Joaquin "an unprecedented, relentless assault".
Christie signed exigency orders yesterday to allow affected residents to import items duty free. He completed an assessment of the affected islands on Tuesday. While he estimated the storm caused tens of millions of dollars in damage, Christie admitted a figure has not been validated. However, the prime minister said the storm has caused "enormous expense" to the government and hundreds of residents.
"It is almost frighteningly large in terms of the enormity of it, to see the way infrastructure has been breached in different parts of Crooked Island and different parts of Acklins, and different parts of Long Island," Christie said.
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