By Bernadette H. Carreon
Horizon news staff

The Palau Communications and Electronics Co. and the Palau National Communications Corporation said that there are still legal issues the Foreign Investment Board needs to address regarding telecommunications operations of Palau Mobile Corporation.
PNCC General Manager Todd Houseman in a letter to FIB Chairman Regina Mesebeluu requested FIB to modify the Foreign Investment Approval Certificate so as to limit the PMC’s operation to roaming only because it is the only telecommunication service that PNCC was not providing at the time PMC was granted its FIAC.
PNCC is also soliciting the removal of PMC’s domestic mobile networking as well as PMC’s ability to originate and terminate IDD calls within Palau.
"PNCC believes that the foreign investment law is intended to protect PNCC’s business activities from competition by foreign owned businesses and it is the responsibility of the FIB to afford the protection that the law provides. If PNCC’s rights are not being given the consideration they deserve, PNCC will have no option but to seek assistance of the courts to remedy the situation," Houseman said.
Palau Telecoms President Sam Masang on its part said it is joining PNCC in raising concerns about the competition that PMC is generating.
He said PMC is expressing concerns about the profits local businesses are losing with a non-citizen business.
"Like PNCC, we may have no choice but to resort to the courts to resolve many issues, including the initial FIAC application procedures and our complaints about irregularities in the application procedure," Masang said.
Masang said although the FIB addressed some of the concerns lodged against PMC it appears to allow PMC to engage in providing wireless internet services to mobile telephones even if the wireless internet services to mobile telephones, even if the wireless, mobile internet services are not related to roaming services.