Because Internet service in the Virgin Islands still leaves much to be desired, we are encouraged by ongoing efforts toward improvement.
For the territory to maintain its commanding presence on the world stage, it must be able to hold its own in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
First, though, it needs to catch up. Consumer complaints about the speed and reliability of the territory’s Internet service are commonplace, and the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission recently found that the VI’s broadband speed is lagging behind other countries even while costs are higher.
Continued shortfalls in this area could be disastrous: Efficient Internet service is extremely important to the territory’s delicate financial services and tourism industries alike.
Thus, we were glad to hear regulators and telecom companies promise recently that change is in the works. All four telecoms that operate here have announced investments and wide-ranging plans that should improve Internet and other services.
Meanwhile, the TRC is launching a probe that will help it decide whether to more tightly regulate LIME, the only provider of fixed-line broadband in the territory. This exercise is a good use of the TRC’s authority, and we hope that residents will respond to the agency’s request for public input during the consultation phase.
The TRC also is working to determine how to allocate the coveted 700-megahertz spectrum, an issue that has become a hot-button topic among elected leaders.
Like any regulator, the TRC has to achieve a difficult balance to ensure a level playing field, and we caution that it should be guided not by politics and favouritism but by the law and consumers’ interest.
For too long, after all, VI consumers have paid too much for subpar telecom service. Since the industry was liberalised in 2006, there has been steady improvement, but much remains to be done.
Once the industry is humming, the possibilities are many. Some insiders say that the territory’s proximity to major undersea fibre-optic cables means that it is well positioned to offer world-class service. One former telecom executive went so far as to suggest last week that the VI could be another Silicon Valley.
Such ideas should be carefully explored starting now. After all, the territory certainly needs other economic engines to help bolster the twin pillars of financial services and tourism.
With solid business decisions and consistent regulation, we see no reason why the VI shouldn’t be a leader in the digital age. Indeed, the territory’s continued prosperity may very well depend on it.
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