President Fed Up with ICE Delays

President Laura Chinchilla is tired of the former telecommunications monopoly ICE's dog-in-the-manger tactics and she's not going to take it any more, local media reported this week.

Earlier, ICE President Eduardo Doryan had announced the state electrical/phone company would challenge the new regulatory agency SUTEL in court in order to suspend the bidding process by competing companies in the newly opened market.

But President Chinchilla let it be known she would stand for no more roadblocks from ICE in the bidding process. Three licensees will be chosen to enter the market to compete with ICE's de facto death grip on the cell phone market.

The contenders for those coveted places are, so far: Cable and Wireless, America Movil (Claro), Telefonica (Movistar),Millicom (Tigo) and Digicell. Contenders have until Dec. 14 to file bids.

Last week, ARESEP, the main rate-setting body for utilities and the Comptroller General's office confirmed that SUTEL may receive bids. A court challenge of SUTEL would have frozen the process while legal proceedings played out at a snail's pace.

Ever since the telecom market was opened by one of 13 laws bringing this country's legal business practices into alignment with the provisions of CAFTA, the Central American trade pact with the U.S., ICE has been dragging its feet in opening both Internet access and cell phones to competition.

The same set of laws, bitterly opposed by the leftist political party PAC, also opened up the insurance market. But the National Insurance Institute (INS) went right to work preparing for a free market, honing its policies and offering new ones--in marked contrast with ICE.