Cabinet Awaits Final Consultations on BTL–Speednet Deal

It was a long day in Belmopan, where Belize Telemedia Limited spent hours before Cabinet making its pitch for the proposed Speednet takeover. It’s the latest step in a series of consultations BTL has been holding with key stakeholders, including the Social Security Board, the Communications Workers’ Union, and the NTUCB. After nearly three hours of presentations and back‑and‑forth, Cabinet says it will wait until BTL wraps up its full round of consultations before announcing a final position. But we did get a reaction from BTL Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga, who told News Five that the team was able to answer Cabinet’s concerns, and he maintains that because BTL belongs to Belizeans, any benefits from a consolidation would ultimately flow right back to the public.

 

Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman, Belize Telemedia Limited

“I think it went very well. I think Cabinet was very engaged. They had a lot of questions they wanted to answer. I think we did a good job of explaining why it is we are proposing, what we are proposing and we will see where go from there.”

 

Shane Williams

“So the presentation entailed what?”

 

Markhelm Lizarraga

“It entailed all the reasons we thought we needed to extend our ability to raise revenue through efficiency. BTL is an essential service provider and we have a tremendous responsibility to ensure that our system, our digital infrastructure remains robust, it grows, keeps up with the technology because of the role it plays in the economy. We can only do this by cutting out the needless duplication in the industry, by cutting out the waste, cutting out all that we don’t need and using the capacity we already have. It is not that we have to grow that capacity already. So, why not use it. Remember BTL is owned by the people of Belize so any benefit through this proposed consolidation will bring benefit to the people of Belize as owners and benefits through services.”

 

Shane Williams

“We know the social partners have been meeting and one of those things coming out of that meeting is for you to resign from BTL. Are you prepared to resign if pressure boils over?”

 

Markhelm Lizarraga

“I am not going to answer that question, ok. I am not going to go there. I think the prime minister appointed me and the prime minister can remove me. So I sit at the pleasure of the prime minister. So, if the prime minister thinks I am not doing his job that is something for him not the social partners.”

 

Shane Williams

“Do you believe it was received well; you message to Cabinet today?”

 

Markhelm Lizarraga

“Absolutely. I think it was receive very well. It was a very engaging two hour plus and we tried to answer every concern they had.”