1 week ago
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The heads of three of Belize’s mainstream media houses have jointly expressed strong opposition to Belize Telemedia Limited’s proposed acquisition of SMART, warning of potential risks to media independence, fair competition, and consumer choice. Jules Vasquez, Louis Wade Jr., and Mose Hyde convened a press conference to outline their concerns, describing the proposed acquisition as one that could fundamentally reshape the telecommunications and media landscape in Belize. Louis Wade Jr. of Plus TV said his concern stems from what he described as BTL’s poor stewardship in what he termed the “open marketplace of good ideas.” Wade argued that BTL has repeatedly shifted between private and public control until it ultimately became mandatorily public through legislation. He warned that a monopoly in the telecommunications sector could have serious negative implications for independent media houses that rely on fair access to digital infrastructure. Jules Vasquez of Channel Seven addressed comments previously made by BTL’s chairman regarding redundancy, which has been cited as part of the justification for the proposed acquisition. Vasquez questioned whether efficiency claims outweigh the broader consequences for competition and plurality in the sector. Meanwhile, Mose Hyde of X TV, drew a historical analogy, asking whether, by the same logic, all media houses should amalgamate and return to the era of Radio Belize. He cautioned against consolidation that limits diversity of voices and weakens democratic discourse.
Louis Wade, Plus TV: “The only guarantee will be the monopoly. And even as the governments change and times change, it will still remain the kind of monopoly that controls the system upon which the independent media houses ride. And I have always been an advocate for independent media houses because the presence of independent media houses being able to distribute their information, whether you agree or you disagree, is a hallmark of any democracy. And it must continue. Any monopoly in telecommunications is going to violate the principle of free speech.”
July Vasquez, 7News: “We have a lot of duplication of efforts in the media. We are wasting gas every day. You just drove to Belmopan this morning, we drove to Belmopan this morning. We could just join up and save gas but why would we do that ? We’r’e competing. We’re both trying to get the best story. That has not happened in thirty years of my being in this news business and there’s a reason it doesn’t happen. Because we’re all competing for the same prize. This is life. This is the competitive world. Yes there are redundancies and there’s a PUC that the law empowers to regulate that but it’s very difficult to regulate companies when all the members of the PUC are appointed by the Prime Minister whose family happens to own one of the companies and there’s all the politics mixed up in everything as it has always been. So I’m saying that yes of course there are redundancies and they’re costly and they can be streamlined but that is the job of the regulator. That is the job of the PUC.”
Evan Hyde, XTV: “We all in the media would admit that the market is not big enough to deal with the number of TV stations and radio stations that we have. That’s why most of us are hand to mouth. And some of the way the boat is full of water. But I would never advocate for us then to say well maybe the government should find the resources to bring back state owned radio and TV and then buy all of us out. Now that would be fantastic, and especially if I were to be able to set my price and you would say we would get rid of redundancy. We would get rid of headaches and complications and media houses that practically are bankrupt. But the question that the public has to deal with is whether or not they were better served having state controlled media as compared to having media houses that are struggling but are providing an atmosphere and ecosystem that gives them choice and prevents the control of critical information and critical conversation.”
In a second round of comments, Hyde emphasized the importance of consumers having the freedom to choose their preferred service provider, warning that consolidation could erode that choice. Wade also highlighted the operational realities faced by media houses, particularly the need for reliable and affordable internet access for broadcasting. He questioned the continued silence of the Public Utilities Commission on the proposed acquisition, noting its regulatory responsibility to safeguard competition and service standards.
Evan Hyde, XTV: “We have a choice and it’s a choice that we have paid for dearly. It’s not a choice that comes free you know ? It’s a lot of money that is spent so we could have the choice and now we will spend more money to eliminate choice. Something about that seems to be upside down maths.”
Louis Wade, Plus TV: “I would add that it’s not just telecommunications anymore it’s telemedia. We live there. It’s our domain and so you also have where telemedia has entered into the media domain with it’s own media structures and then you also have some of the other competitors within the system that have media houses as well. So Beliezeans need to understand that it’s not just an issue of where I’m getting my internet from and where I am making my calls through but it’s also the pipeline that carries the national media houses and then on top of that when you do streams from various locations you want your options. There are certain places where the signal is stronger from a telemedia tower and so you can carry a better signal that way or sometimes it is Smart that has the better communications systems within that particular area because of their demographic ad so you have the option of choosing between multiple options to carry your live stream.”
Evan Hyde, XTV: “Let’s say you end up with, in the media houses all of us go broke and you only have Channel 5 ? Well what do you do ? You have to live with that. But it was not something that was manipulated into existence and paid to become into existence. That’s what we’re talking about here. So it’s more than just whether or not the cable companies are in the package or not. Fundamentally a government influenced private company is taking up a strategy to create a monopoly and it’s in our view it’s going backward and creating the kind of structure that lends itself to the small mindedness and the vindictiveness that we have experienced as a cultural norm here in Belize. I am afraid of that. We already took our lick and that’s where we are on that matter.”
During the press conference, Love News also raised concerns about fair trade and the enforcement of existing competition laws. Responding, Jules Vasquez said that while the law exists, it is not being respected or enforced, invoking an “Animal Farm” analogy to suggest that some entities are treated as being above the rules.
Reporter: Why not push for a fair trade act here in Belize? So we can have fair trade, so that telecommunications, whether sales, I mean I’m from the US and I come here and I can go out in the morning and get tacos from different places. Every taco is different. The prices might be different. It depends on what I have in my pocket that I can afford. You’ve taken away people’s fair choice of what they need or what they want or what they can get by not having a fair trade law.
Jules Vasquez, 7News: “Let me tell you there is a law about the law isn’t for everybody. We’re living in the time of Orwell. “A licensee shall not enter into or give effect to any agreement.” BTL is a licensee. “Any agreement, arrangement, or understanding which has the purpose or hazard is likely to have the effect of significantly lessening competition in any market for the supply of telecommunication services or of any product used in connection with telecommunication services.” This is the law.”
Reporter: So why isn’t it stressed ? How come we don’t talk about that?
Jules Vasquez, 7News: “Because the law is only for us. The law is not for them, they are the gods. They live in a stratosphere above us. They didn’t even contemplate the law. On Friday four government directors were ready to ram it. Only the good, I believe, my information, only the good Social Security director was able to make them defer it, that is my belief. I’m just saying. These people are going ahead, they have no regard for this law. Our entire law since 1987 when the BTL monopoly was created the law envisaged from 1987 in 15 years we’re gonna have competition. Everything about the telecoms laws in Belize are designed to facilitate and create competition because in a democracy no matter how small you need competition.”
The proposed acquisition continues to generate intense public debate, as regulators, policymakers, and stakeholders face growing calls for transparency, enforcement of competition laws, and the protection of media independence in Belize.
English (US) ·