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Sutel May Be
Forced To Close If ICE Continues To Refuse
To Pay Fees
The recently created Superintendencia de
Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) -
telecommunications superintendency - will be
forced to close its doors tomorrow
(Wednesday) if the Instituto Costarricense
de Electricidad (ICE) does not pay its
corresponding fee of ¢463.970 for the last
quarter of 2008 and first quarter of 2009.
The Sutel is the agency responsible to
regulate the telecommunications industry
following the break up of the ICE monopoly
for the last 60 years.
Although the Sutel will be receiving fees
from telecom operators, ICE is still the
only telecom in the country and the only
having to pay Sutel fees.
George Miley, the president of the Sutel,
confirmed that the agency is out of money
and that a closure would delay the process
of approving new operators interested in
establishing telcommunications operations in
the country.
Miley said that the money paid by ICE would
be used to continue operations and does not
want to think what would happen is ICE
decides not to pay.
"I do not want to say why they are doing
this, I hope their actions are not in bad
faith. I have no indication that it is being
done on spite", said Miley.
Miley said that even if the Sutel has to
shut its doors, waiting for payment, the
Sutel will issue its report on frequency sue
on Friday, as scheduled.
ICE officials say they will pay the fees
owed when its given the titles and
authorizations it is owed, which has not
occurred yet and maintains that that is the
responsibility of the Ministerio de Ambiente,
Energía y Telecomunicaciones and the Sutel.
Although the Sutel is financed by ICE fees,
ICE continues to stall and insists that the
agency can obtain funding from other
sources, like government institutions and
donations.
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