Wade Warns Telecom Deal Could Leave Consumers Exposed

The Public Utilities Commission remains under the microscope tonight, facing fresh criticism over how it’s handling Belize Telemedia Limited’s proposed takeover of Speednet. Independent senators are warning that the deal could tie the regulator’s hands and undermine its responsibilities under the Belize Telecommunications Act. During a heated exchange, Church Senator Louis Wade Jr. argued that the law already gives the PUC the authority to determine market dominance, without public consultation, and says calling for public input now doesn’t automatically mean transparency. Wade is also sounding the alarm that, if approved, the acquisition could leave Belizean consumers exposed, with few safeguards in place.

 

Louis Wade Jr., Church Senator

“PUC is losing its standing in the public’s eyes because PUC is only now coming public with their first temporary position and making requests when people have already now been protesting in front of Belize Telemedia. And so this is why I am saying that you have a problem where the perception. That PUC is government controlled because it is government appointed. So now, rather than PUC take a bold step forward, it has waited so long that it looks as if it’s waiting on a signal from cabinet or it’s waiting on a signal from the government owned private entity, BTL. And so, it does need to shift because if BTL is not yet a monopoly and it’s already causing PUC to slow down and not carry out its rule, how will PUC act when BTL becomes a monopoly? And we’ve been there. So I old enough to know that they held back VoIP voice over IP for years. And held back the economy of the country. It held back. The world was ahead of us because PUC and the BTL, you have this monopoly government and government controlled. And so they’re not acting in the best interest of the people of Belize. They’re not acting in the best interest of the economy. They were acting in best interest of the shareholders, and this has happened over and over.  And so it disappoints me that in 2025 2026 we are having this same conversation.”

 

Church Senator Louis Wade Jr. says the PUC’s delayed response is eroding public trust and warns that approving the deal could leave Belizean consumers exposed, raising the question of how the regulator would act if dominance becomes reality.