There’s been a lot of chatter lately about a potential shake-up in Belize’s telecom and cable landscape. Word on the street is that BTL may be eyeing a buyout of Speednet Communications and possibly several local cable companies too. But so far, no official confirmation. On Wednesday, businessman Michael Ashcroft added fuel to the fire during an appearance on Open Your Eyes, briefly touching on the rumored deal. Speednet, as many know, is majority-owned by Waterloo, and this evening, Prime Minister John Briceño, whose relatives are shareholders in Speednet, was asked directly about the speculation.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I don’t know, you’ll have to talk to the people at BTL and the people at Smart.”
Reporter
“You are the super majority of the… you appoint majority of the board and your family owns Smart. If this sale were to go through, wouldn’t it be a conflict of interest?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I wish it would be my family that owns Smart, but those things are discussed at the management level and then it goes to the board. I can assure you that if something were to happen, it has to be in the interest of BTL and in the interest of the Belizean people.”
