The commencement order establishing the Telecommunications Agency was signed last Friday, in anticipation of the liberalisation of the telecoms sector, Minister of Public Tele-communications Cathy Hughes announced yesterday.
Hughes told a press briefing in the ministry’s boardroom that although a board has not yet been appointed for the agency, its establishment at this time is due to the volume of administrative work that is required for its functioning. She added that they did not want to wait until the end of the liberalisation period to start the process of getting the agency up and running.
The new agency will absorb the National Frequency Management Unit, which currently manages the local frequency spectrum. It is expected that it will function as an advisory body, reviewer of licence applications and regulator of the use of the spectrum.
The minister was