TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN THE CARIBBEAN: HOW HAS CHANGE BROUGHT
THE WEST INDIES INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Open Access
Author:
Pierre, Keston Harris
Graduate Program:
Mass Communications
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
September 24, 2008
Committee Members:
Jorge Schement, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Richard Denny Taylor, Committee Chair/Co-Chair Krishna Prasad Jayakar, Committee Member Gary Scott Cross, Committee Member
Keywords:
Regulators Universal Service Caribbean Telecommunications Wireless
Abstract:
This paper traces the roots of the movement to liberalize telecommunications, the introduction of competition and the subsequent reshaping of the industry in the Caribbean. Through a combination of evaluating statistical data and the reviewing of documents for legislation passed on the islands, the paper examines the mechanisms and challenges toward creating regulatory bodies to oversee telecommunications, as well as, assess the characteristics of the rise in competition in telecommunications services and service providers, the growth of the wireless sector, the desire to provide universal service. These considerations go toward answering the primary question of "To what extent, if any, have changes in telecommunications policies in selected Caribbean countries since 1990 achieved goals with respect to universal service and increased competition?"