The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) yesterday ordered the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) to revert to its old system of dispatching detailed paper bills to all of its customers.
The utilities regulator also ordered that customers who received the new billing format, that is, the summary bill, as from May 2019, be notified in their bills to be issued in November 2019 of the choice to opt out of paperless billing, such choice having immediate effect upon indication by the customer.
These orders follow a hearing by the PUC on September 12, which was prompted by a complaint lodged by local activist Ramon Gaskin. Gaskin had complained that GTT had stopped sending him detailed bills and that he had begun receiving his bills in electronic form without being notified of the change.
During the hearing, GTT officials acknowledged their failure to notify Gaskin, and apologised. In laying down its orders, the PUC said that “the Commission frowns on the Company and records its concern that the company sought to introduce the paperless facility and the company by its own admission failed to provide prior notification and failed to launch an effective educational campaign for the benefit of the public.”
The PUC also criticised the fact that “at no time did the company seek to notify the Commission of its intention to embark upon a paperless regime.”
The PUC also ordered that the option to cancel online billing and resume paper billing to be clearly stated on GTT’s online portals, and that the company ensure that its billing platform, over which paperless billing is offered, is uptime and experiences minimum latency. In the event that the platform fails during any billing period or cycle, GTT is required to inform all paperless customers, and dispatch to said customers physical bills.
The PUC further also ordered that any customers who were issued a summary bill from May 2019, and who are desirous of receiving a detailed bill, are to be issued same by GTT, free of charge, upon request by the customer(s). This particular order is guided by the PUC’s view that an invoice which conforms to commercial practices should include, among other things, an itemised breakdown of all charges on the invoice, and the charges for the consumer.
Customers already furnished with their bill, as per the order, will be required to pay $300 for a copy of their bill where they are seeking to replace a lost or damaged bill.
GTT was also ordered to place notices disseminated prominently via online-media, and Short Messaging Service (SMS) to notify consumers of the new billing format and the choice to remain with paper billing.
Despite its orders, however, the PUC, commending GTT for its efforts toward the advancement of a green economy, said that it is aware “that the technology and the way business is conducted is constantly evolving” and gave an assurance that “the Commission at all times seeks to adhere to the oft quoted adage that Regulation must not stifle innovation.”
