St. Maarten Private Eye

Telecommunication Policy Approved by EXCO - 31st July 2008

From SMN News
hilipsburg: --- The executive council on Tuesday approved the strategic telecommunication policy for St. Maarten announced commissioner of telecommunication Maria Buncamper Molanus. The commissioner said considering St. Maarten is on its way to its constitutional change they are to take the necessary measures to exploit the economic potential of new technologies and compete in the regional and international telecommunication markets.

Buncamper Molanus said the establishment of the TELECOM policy will provide St. Maarten with the foundation to provide the necessary comprehensive structural changes in an evolving sector and provide a clear division of roles and functions of the various stakeholders in the industry.

Buncamper Molanus describes the policy as comprehensive and it required one year of discussions and deliberations to arrive at a substantive police that will benefit the island.

The commissioner said the policy is a living document that was built around certain primary goals such as a competitive and Next Generation Networking supportive environment which shall attract investments for further growth.
Universal access to all, establishment and promotion of E-Commerce, Health and Education, research, training and development in ICT. The establishment of St. Maarten as a regional telecommunications hub, serving as the connecting link between the Caribbean and the US.
As part of the establishment of the TELECOM Policy, the following policy factors were also taken along in the decision of the Executive Council:
Business License Policy:
Interim guidelines will be established for the issuing of business licenses as it pertains to companies with an objective to provide information, communication and telecommunication services. These guidelines will be used by the Department of Economic Affairs in the transition period leading up to the full assumption of authority and tasks by the Government of St. Maarten. The guidelines will provide the necessary protection and will ensure compatibility with the transition into a converged environment..
Notification letter to the Federal Government:
A formal request, via letter, will be sent to the Federal Government to issue a notification to neighboring countries, organizations and treaty partners that the country Netherlands Antilles shall soon cease to exist and that in the transition phase participation on behalf of St. Maarten shall take form in the person of a designated representative by the government of St. Maarten.
St. Maarten will also now assume responsibility and start partaking in ongoing negotiations with treaty partners and organizations. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) will also be officially notified. The ITU is informally aware of the ongoing constitutional reform but has yet to receive a formal notification. The ITU Secretary General has indicated that St. Maarten, while it may not become a member of the ITU as this seat is held by the kingdom, could become an associate member of the ITU and is strongly advised to seek such membership. In this regard St. Maarten’s formal introduction to ITU has to take place post.
Appointment of an Interim Numbering Manager
In preparation for acquiring the tasks and responsibilities of telecommunications it is the intention of the Island Government to reform St. Maarten’s telecommunication environment. In doing so, several steps are being taken including applying for a North American Numbering Plan (NANP) country code and the establishment of a Regulatory Agency for St. Maarten.
The Regulatory Agency will require a Director who will be responsible for coordinating the setting up of the bureau, and participation in the decentralization process for the phased assumption of tasks from the Federal Government. Additionally, an interim Manager is required as part of St. Maarten’s entry into the NANP, however the Director can serve in this temporary capacity as the Regulatory Agency will be responsible for the numbering issuance and management. Having the Director fulfill this position in the transition period shall be cost effective and efficient.
Internet Domain for St. Maarten
St. Maarten will get its own country specific domain extension. The advantage of having a country-specific top level domain extension is branding, search engine rankings and focus on a target audience/market. Most importantly, said domains are ranked higher than normal dot-coms in country-specific search engines. Therefore, the owners of such domains, in this case St. Maarten, will be included in exclusive country-specific website directories.
The domain for the Netherlands Antilles as a country is .AN. The extension for St. Maarten will be “XM”. Telecommunications consultant Ms. Peggy Ann Brandon has been selected to execute the aforementioned and Island Secretary Joan Dovale-Meit has been appointed as the technical contact and administrator of the domain.
Publication
The posting and publication of the interim guidelines and telecommunication policy will be on all government’s websites, that of the Sector Economy and Tourism (www.stmaarteneconomy.com) and on the website of the Commissioner of Telecommunication. This is necessary to promote transparency and good governance to the public of St. Maarten.
The next step in officially establishing the TELCOM Policy for St. Maarten is the convening of a Central Committee meeting to discuss the policy and a presentation to all stakeholders.

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