Customers desirous of using GTT’s landline call blocking will have to pay from next February after the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Thursday approved the company’s application to institute a monthly charge for the service.
GTT, in its application to the PUC, had requested the implementation of a rate for the call blocking service to take effect as of October 1st, 2018.
The service, currently being used by 36,368 customers, is used to prevent calls from being made from landlines to other numbers, such as international and cellular numbers, with users being prompted for a PIN whenever any call is to be made, except for emergency calls.
While GTT requested approval to implement a charge of $360 per month for the service, the PUC, after careful consideration of the submissions made by the company and the Guyana Consumers Association (GCA), ordered that with effect from February 1st, 2019, residential customers will pay a fixed monthly charge of $30, while commercial customers will pay a fixed monthly charge of $70 for the call blocking service.
The PUC’s order (3/2018) also says that the company shall embark on a sensitisation exercise for its consumers regarding the implementation, inclusive of information regarding its date and the options that are available.
The PUC added that where the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) fails, customers’ accounts are to be credited for the number of days they are unable to access any of the value-added services and features offered by the network.
GTT had submitted that the service that is currently being provided is being facilitated through an infrastructure that delivers an array of features that complement its wireline fixed services, which attracts a one-time cost of US$190,000, which does not take into consideration the cost for repairs and the maintenance of the service, said to be incidental to the operations of the infrastructure.
It also noted that the yearly maintenance and repair cost for the infrastructure also attracts a cost of US$250,008. This recurring cost, it said, also facilitates a variety of services that are provided to the customers on the PSTN. It also said that the company was considering spending a further US$300,000 to upgrade the system.
However, the GCA, in its opposition to GTT’s application, had argued that the operating cost to the company in continuing the call blocking feature was unlikely to increase and, in this circumstance, any tariff approval would represent free cash flow to the company.
The GCA also said that charging for a value-added service that is currently being provided will not increase the maintenance cost for the infrastructure and that the assets acquired in the initial investment to provide the value-added services is now fully depreciated.
The GCA also highlighted the quality of service and particularly its downtime, which it said precludes the customer from enjoying a seamless service. Under those circumstances, it suggested that if any charges are approved by the PUC it should be user-based and not subscriber-based.
The hearings were attended by PUC Chairperson Dela Britton, Commissioners Maurice Solomon and Rajendra Bissessar, PUC Secretary Vidiahar Persaud and PUC financial analyst Moorsalene Sankar.
GTT was represented by its Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs Mark Reynolds and a senior engineer, Floyd Rodney, while the GCA was represented by its president, Patrick Dial, and advisor Yog Mahadeo.
