Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is now the second Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) member state to introduce new legislation governing the telecommunications sector.

This follows the safe passage of the Electronic Communications Bill during the 12th sitting of the House of Assembly on Tuesday, October 24th, 2022.

The new legislation was tabled by Prime Minister and Minister of Information Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves and replaces the Telecommunications Act which was passed by Parliament in the year 2000.

In his contribution to the debate in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, Minister of Finance Hon. Camillo Gonsalves thanked ECTEL for their management methods in creating public awareness about the Electronic Communications Bill.

In 2009, the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) signaled the need for a revision of existing legislation to better address the emergence of new services and challenges within the telecommunications sector. At that time, ECTEL initiated discussions about moving away from the existing legislation of 2000, and in 2019 a new legislative bill was finalized.

SOURCE: Agency For Public Information (API)