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GT&T expresses disgust at Gerry Gouveia’s 911 comments

Dec 30, 2009 News

The Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company says that it views with surprise and disgust the comments reportedly made by the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Mr. Gerry Gouveia.
Those comments appeared in yesterday’s issue of the Guyana Chronicle. Gouveia, according to the report, calls for the Company’s assistance in addressing the technical issues affecting the efficiency of the country’s 911 emergency service.
According to the report, Mr. Gouveia claims to have had a first hand look at the 911 operations and determined that the inefficiency of the system is a result of “technicalities with which the Communication Company could assist.”
GT&T, he is reported to have said, “needs to work harder to resolve it.”
In the first case, the Company is extremely disappointed that the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, of which GT&T is a member, did not demonstrate the courtesy or the decency to check with officials before publicly commenting on the situation.
If he had done the appropriate thing, the facts would have been made available to him.
“It would have been explained that GT&T fully appreciates the importance of the 911 service and has at all times deployed its engineers to, as a priority, the maintenance of that service.
“A few years ago, concerns were raised about the non-functioning of the 911 system at certain locations.
“GT&T and Guyana Police Force officials met, established the critical importance of the service, agreed that any fault in the system would be reported immediately to GT&T and GT&T will treat as urgent and give priority to the repairing of that fault
“It was a serious commitment by the Company that the 911 service should always be available.”
GT&T said that three years ago, in 2006, the Guyana Police Force engaged GT&T to discuss ways of improving the quality of its 911 service offered to the public.
Extensive reviews were done, resulting in individual Police Divisions having upgraded 911 services terminating within those divisions, the telephone company reported..
“When a year later, the Guyana Police Force, through its Communication Officer, monitored the operational status of its 911 facilities and found them to be defective, GT&T responded immediately and took corrective action to improve the service.
“Recently, the administration of the Force approached GT&T seeking technical advice for the improvement of 911 facilities in its ‘A’ Division.  Again GT&T responded positively by inspection, advice and technical support in identifying and sourcing upgraded facilities for the division.”
This recommendation has been accepted by the Police Administration and is being acted upon, GT&T said.
This is the information which would have been made available to Mr. Gouveia had he taken the sensible and logical step to contact officials of the Company to establish some balance in his remarks, GT&T spokesperson Terry Holder said.
“It seems necessary that we point out to Mr. Gouveia, too, that at GT&T’s  initiative, there was the introduction, two years ago, of an Emergency Short Messaging Service.
The E-SMS is designed for customers who might have a case of emergency and requires immediate assistance.”
Mr Holder said, “We are astonished that the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission can recognize the value of communication to national security and not be more visible and vocal when facilities of the same communication company are sabotaged and vandalized with great frequency placing entire communities at risk.
“All across the country, facilities placed for the convenience of communities, have been deliberately damaged, disrupting service, inconveniencing customers,  affecting the viability of businesses and creating a threat to national security.
“It would have been a reasonable expectation for the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission to use his influence to help reduce the criminal acts and to call for the greater protection by the disciplined services in the interest of safeguarding those facilities.”

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