Pursuant to 4 CMC § 8457, telecommunications companies are required to obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity from CPUC as a condition for the commencement of business activities in the CNMI.
CPUC Chairwoman Viola Alepuyo issued an administrative resolution that “the undersigned [Alepuyo] is authorized, in the event GTA does not request a public hearing on its application pursuant to Certificate Order section 4, to issue GTA a certificate of public convenience and necessity.…”
Alepuyo also directed hearing examiner Harry M. Boertzel to prepare the certificate — consistent with this resolution — for GTA and Georgetown’s review and for her execution as CPUC chairwoman.
“In the event that GTA requests a hearing on its application, it shall be conducted by the hearing examiner in accordance with Part Seven of the Commission’s Rules for Practice and Procedure. After due consideration of the hearing record and hearing examiner’s report, the undersigned is authorized to enter a decision, including appropriate action on GTA’s application,” the resolution stated.
GTA Teleguam executive vice president for external and legal affairs Daniel J. Tydingco, who attended the CPUC meeting Friday on Capital Hill, said, “We are going through the process. We are looking forward to expanding our services from Guam up to the Northern Marianas.”
In an interview with Variety prior to the meeting, Tydingco said, “We’ve come up here to go through the process by filing a petition for certificate of authority to start providing such services for the benefit of the consumers in the realm of business, government, and ultimately island residents.”
He also said that they have pledged to make a commitment to expand their services to the CNMI and they have to go through some agreements, and some contract negotiations with the incumbent local exchange carrier [IT&E] for an interconnection agreement.
Asked on how much investment GTA Teleguam is looking at infusing into the CNMI market, Tydingco declined to give a ballpark figure saying it’s still premature to do so.
He assured, though, that GTA Teleguam is looking forward to immediately providing services to existing and new customers.
Tydingco told Variety that GTA is going through the process now with CPUC and they expect to publish the notice of the hearing in the next two weeks.
He said GTA is looking forward to investing in the CNMI.
With GTA’s entry into the telecommunications arena, the CNMI will have four phone companies operating: IT&E, Docomo Pacific, I-Connect and GTA Teleguam.
GTA Teleguam is the only communications carrier, based on a recent press statement, on Guam to deliver wireless, digital television, high-speed internet access and landline telephone service through its own integrated communications networks.
Last month, it bared its plan to invest $10 million to expand and improve its services bringing its total investments on Guam to $90 million since the company’s privatization in 2005.
GTA Services LLC filed an application with CPUC last March 22. Georgetown Consulting Group, the regulatory consultant that reviewed the application, submitted a report to CPUC recommending approval of the application subject to conditions.
The hearing examiner authorized GTA on April 12 to publish public notice of its petition that shall commence a 14-day public comment period.
According to the order issued by CPUC on Nov. 16, 2010, public notice should be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the CNMI and within 10 days of the notice request a public hearing before CPUC regarding its application.
CPUC will publish, as stated in the order, public notice of the hearing to be conducted under the oversight of its hearing examiner.
Further, any information submitted by the applicant, in this case, GTA, will be treated as public record unless eligible for confidential treatment by the Commission.
