PUC Celebrates its 30th Anniversary - Public Utilities Commission

Hon._Brigadier_(ret’d)_Mark_Anthony_Phillips,_M.S.S.,_M.P.

Statement by Prime Minister

I wish to extend congratulations to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on its 30^th Anniversary celebration. This milestone is indeed one to be celebrated with great pride as we reflect on the work and achievements of the Commission over the past 30 years….

REMARKS BY THE HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER BRIGADIER MARK PHILLIPS ON THE OCCASION OF THE 30th ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

The PUC has come a very long way since its establishment on the 1^st October 1990. As the regulatory body for the provision of the public services of water, electricity, and telecommunications, and through its scope of investigative and enforcement roles as well, the PUC has contributed significantly to the advancement of the quality and standard of public utility services throughout Guyana for the benefit of all stakeholders.

The Commission has been expanding its reach across the country in order to better fulfil its mandate. Just recently, it opened the doors of its newest branches in Essequibo and Linden, in addition to its other two offices in Berbice and Georgetown.

Now, with the liberalization of the telecommunications sector just around the corner, the support and work of the PUC will be intensified in this regard, as it is critical to ensuring that consumers are provided with the best quality and standard of services for their money, and providers of these services are held accountable for delivering same.

As the PUC continues its work across Guyana even as we are faced with the constraints caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, I would like to say thank you to the dedicated and hardworking staff who have played their part in the success of the Commission to date.

The celebration of this milestone not only marks the accomplishments of the Commission for three decades, but it also marks the beginning of a new decade of commitment to service to the Guyanese people.

As Prime Minister with oversight of the PUC, I look forward to the road ahead as we work together and prepare to take our country to new heights like never before. The role of the Commission remains important to the Government in monitoring the delivery of public utility services to the Guyanese people. The PUC is assured of my support in carrying out its work and I remain committed to the continued progress of the Commission.

Statement by Chairperson

Thirty years ago, on the 1^st October 1990, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was established to form an independent body to regulate the telecommunications and electricity services and to protect the interests of consumers.

Statement by Chairperson

Today by virtue of the provisions under Act number 10 of 1999, PUC has the responsibility for the Telecommunications (Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company and Digicel); Electricity( Guyana Power and Light Inc) and Water( Guyana Water Inc.) sectors in Guyana.

Our early achievements in the Telecoms Sector include the introduction of the principle of calling party pays which changed the principle of the receiving party being billed when accepting a call from a caller Pre-paid cards were also introduced for consumers’ convenience. Per minute billing was investigated under our watch which resulted in the change to per second billing. In 2007, the Commission set the floor to ceiling rates for Cellular services which heralded the entrance of Digicel into the Guyana market.

We continue to monitor the standards and performance of the Electricity sector and the Commission’s work in the resolution of quality of service issues has been bolstered by full time in house technical reviews.

In 2018, in an effort to cushion consumers from rate shock, the PUC took a phased approach to the award of an increase of rates to the Water Sector by directing that Guyana Water Inc. to implement its new rates in two installments.

Through our mediation and collaboration with all Utilities we have successfully created avenues to reduce the bottlenecks which impeded the speedy resolution of complaints. We continue to partner with the respective utilities in their public relations efforts.

Since the year 1990, an impressive one hundred and fourteen (114) Orders covering all three sectors were issued by the Commission. From 2005 to September 2020 we have received and serviced eight thousand three hundred and twenty-four (8,324) complaints.

Our advocacy on behalf of consumers has resulted in credits totaling the sum of two hundred and eighty one million five hundred and sixty thousand one hundred and fifty-four dollars ($281,560,154).

In this our 30^th year of existence our resolve remains strong with regard to expanding our reach to cover the length and breath of Guyana beyond our existing locations in Georgetown, Berbice, Linden and Essequibo.

Our Virtual private network allowed for the seamless transition to work from home since the onset of the COVID -19 pandemic.

Our website pucguyana.com was revamped to allow for e- filing of complaints; a chatroom feature; links to our Facebook page Public Utilities Commission and other important features which have aided in our public relations drive.

The paradigm shift to liberalization of the Telecoms Sector in Guyana will result in a different technological and competitive landscape which will in turn create a metamorphosis in PUC’s regulatory environment as we seek to meet all of our challenges.

Our achievements would not be a reality without the steadfast dedication and commitment to excellence by our past and present Commissioners and the staff of the PUC.

As we celebrate this milestone, we are mindful that we are under a microscope, however, we wish to assure all our stakeholders that we are committed to retooling our operations and to maintain the regulatory hallmarks of transparency, clarity and professionalism at all times.