ICE Monopoly At An End!
he Legislative Assembly
last night voted to
break the 60 year old
monopoly on
telecommunications held
by the Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE).
Thirty five legislators
voted in favour of
approving the Ley
General de
Telecomunicaciones in
its second and final
debate, which now means
that private companies
can offer cellular and
internet service in the
country.
The law is part of the
laws required for the
country to ratify the
Tratado de Libre
Comercio - free trade
agreement with the
United States, Central
America and the
Dominican Republic.
Present for the vote
were 49 legislators when
at 11:46am the approval
was given.
In addition to
permitting companies
other ICE to offer to
the public cellular and
internet service, the
Ley General de
Telecomunicaciones also
establishes the creation
of a Superintendencia de
Telecomunicaciones
(telecommunications
board), which will be
part of the Autoridad
Reguladora de los
Servicios Públicos (Aresep)
and have the authority
to regulate competition.
The Superintendencia de
Telecomunicaciones will
determine rates and
services that can be
offered and will be
responsible for creating
a Fondo Nacional de
Telecomunicaciones
(national
telecommunications
fund), which fund will
be used to subsidize
telecommunications
installations in rural
areas which may not be
very attractive for
telecom investors.
In addition, all telecom
operators are required
to maintain 911
emergency service
operations.
The opening of the
telecommunications
sector when the TLC if
ratified and the United
States notifies the
Organización de Estados
Americanos (Organization
of American States -
OAS) that Costa Rica,
the only holdout, has
entered the treaty.
"This will be a day
remembered in the
political history of the
country", said the
ministro de la
Presidencia, Rodrigo
Arias, who added that in
Costa Rican style, the
important change was
made in peace and
tranquility.
What is left for
legislators to debate is
the Ley de
Fortalecimiento del ICE,
a law that gives the
state institution the
tools to compete in a
free telecommunications
marketplace.
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