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Friday, September 5, 2008
| Digicel keen to enter RMI market Digicel Pacific is keen to get into the cell phone market in the Marshall Islands as part of creating a Pan-Pacific communications network, Digicel CEO Vanessa Slowey told the Journal. In a telephone interview this week from her Fiji base, Slowey said the company is operating in four South Pacific nations, plans to launch service in Fiji after October 1, and is talking with other island governments, including the RMI’s Ken, Tony argue over bill 1756 Rongelap’s leadership has strongly supported US Senate bill 1756 from its initiation in 2007 and is concerned that the RMI’s recent endorsement may be “too little, too late,” Rongelap Senator Kenneth Kedi said in a letter last week to Foreign Minister Tony deBrum. But deBrum told the Journal he found it strange that Kedi supported language that everyone had agreed to drop from an earlier version. Kedi said Rongelap supported wording proposed for the bill that would help the Bikini and Enewetak law suits. Getting speedier response Sea Patrol Chief Thomas Heine said the fire department is working to speed up its response time to fires. He was responding to questions at a public meeting in Rairok about a fire that destroyed an Uliga trailer 10 days ago. The fire department was delayed in responding because of a dead battery. MEC set to cut electric rates There will be a drop in electric rates in Majuro, a Marshalls Energy Company official told the Nitijela Public Accounts Committee late last month. MEC chief financial officer Maurie Williams told the Committee that “there will be a reduction” but the amount is still to be decided. |
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E-mail: |
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Phone: |
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Fax:
(692) 625-3136 |
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Mail:
PO Box 14 Majuro, MH 96960 Marshall Islands |
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In Person:
On the ocean road behind Formosa in Uliga, Majuro |
By GIFF JOHNSON
NTA’s board of directors this week, after evidencing a serious split in opinion, flexed its muscles, refusing Cabinet directives to halt starting wireless TV in competition with a Majuro private company and to eliminate a credit card with a $250,000 limit. Last week, Transportation and Communications Minister Dennis Momotaro issued a letter to NTA board chairperson Hilda Heine outlining seven issues that the Cabinet wanted action on, including eliminating the TV plan and credit card. But the NTA board split over the Cabinet orders — matters that Momotaro called the Cabinet’s “grave concern on a number of MINTA’s initiatives that are inconsistent with the policy of the government.” Foreign Minister Tony deBrum told the Journal Wednesday that he was “perplexed” by the board’s votes against Cabinet directives after “instructions had been given under the minister’s signature and the Cabinet had held discussions with members of the board.” NTA at its Tuesday board meeting did agree with one of the seven Cabinet directives, to reduce Internet rates to $1.80 per hour, which will be implemented starting October 1, according to Heine. Most other directives were rejected by a 4-3 vote, reportedly with Heine, Momotaro and David Strauss supporting the Cabinet positions and board members Alex Bing, Hirobo Obeketang, Lynn Milne and Jelton Anjain voting against. One other board member, Patrick Chen, was not at the meeting. Though the board did not agree to drop the single location “call center” for each outer island, it did agree to review the plan. Heine told the Journal that three of these “call centers” were budgeted for in the current fiscal year, so NTA is going to move forward with these in Enewetak, Mejatto and Santo (Third Island) on “a trial basis and then reevaluate the plan for the other islands.” She said NTA is faced with high costs to provide full cell phone services to every outer island and rather than provide nothing at all, has launched the call center option with plans for later “upscaling” the outer islands service.
The Cabinet also raised concern over NTA’s $250,000 credit card, objecting for risk of abuse and questionable purchasing without proper review. The NTA
NTA’s board of directors this week, after evidencing a serious split in opinion, flexed its muscles, refusing Cabinet directives to halt starting wireless TV in competition with a Majuro private company and to eliminate a credit card with a $250,000 limit. Last week, Transportation and Communications Minister Dennis Momotaro issued a letter to NTA board chairperson Hilda Heine outlining seven issues that the Cabinet wanted action on, including eliminating the TV plan and credit card. But the NTA board split over the Cabinet orders — matters that Momotaro called the Cabinet’s “grave concern on a number of MINTA’s initiatives that are inconsistent with the policy of the government.” Foreign Minister Tony deBrum told the Journal Wednesday that he was “perplexed” by the board’s votes against Cabinet directives after “instructions had been given under the minister’s signature and the Cabinet had held discussions with members of the board.” NTA at its Tuesday board meeting did agree with one of the seven Cabinet directives, to reduce Internet rates to $1.80 per hour, which will be implemented starting October 1, according to Heine. Most other directives were rejected by a 4-3 vote, reportedly with Heine, Momotaro and David Strauss supporting the Cabinet positions and board members Alex Bing, Hirobo Obeketang, Lynn Milne and Jelton Anjain voting against. One other board member, Patrick Chen, was not at the meeting. Though the board did not agree to drop the single location “call center” for each outer island, it did agree to review the plan. Heine told the Journal that three of these “call centers” were budgeted for in the current fiscal year, so NTA is going to move forward with these in Enewetak, Mejatto and Santo (Third Island) on “a trial basis and then reevaluate the plan for the other islands.” She said NTA is faced with high costs to provide full cell phone services to every outer island and rather than provide nothing at all, has launched the call center option with plans for later “upscaling” the outer islands service.
The Cabinet also raised concern over NTA’s $250,000 credit card, objecting for risk of abuse and questionable purchasing without proper review. The NTA
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The Journal sent email inquiries to US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee staff member Allen Stayman concerning the Kwajalein rent escrow account that is expected to be about $20 million by December.
The Journal learned the actual deadline for a new land use agreement (LUA) to prevent this large sum returning to the US Treasury is December 17, not December 18 as earlier reported. “Any funds in the escrow account revert to the US Treasury on midnight December 17 unless the RMI has concluded, and notified the US that
The Journal learned the actual deadline for a new land use agreement (LUA) to prevent this large sum returning to the US Treasury is December 17, not December 18 as earlier reported. “Any funds in the escrow account revert to the US Treasury on midnight December 17 unless the RMI has concluded, and notified the US that
there is, a new LUA,” Stayman, told the Journal last week. RMI Foreign Minister Tony deBrum told the Journal “the part (of the US law) of extreme interest is the language ‘unless otherwise mutually agreed,’” because it suggests an opportunity for the two governments to ensure the funds don’t disappear on December 17 even in the absence of a new LUA. The Journal further asked Stayman how a provision allowing two governments to come to an agreement regarding the funds would affect or delay the December 17 deadline. “I can’t foresee any way to waive the requirement,” Stayman said. “The exploding deadline concept may be what is first and foremost in the minds of many who want to use the language to coerce an LUA,” deBrum said. “But I think reasonable people can make reasonable decisions of mutual benefit when good faith efforts to reach a successful agreement are at work.”
P1: There will not be a special session of the Congress of Micronesia on Saipan in October. High Commissioner Edward E. Johnston turned down the request of the Congress leadership for the special session in a letter to Senate President Amata Kabua and House Speaker Bethwel Henry on August 30.
P3: The Marshall Islands Foreign Ministry is dealing on a case-by-case basis with Japanese citizens who purchased residency documents for the Marshall Islands, said Foreign Secretary Bobby Muller. The Ministry has also launched an investigation into the entire matter, referring it to the Attorney General for action.