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In a recent television interview on The Catholic News’ Altos, Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales discussed two serious issues under his purview – the massive Telecommunication Services of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) data breach, and the proposed electricity rate increase by the Regulated Industries Commission (RIC).
Regarding the TSTT breach, Gonzales acknowledged initially there was conflicting information about the extent of the breach, leading him to wrongly assure Parliament that “customers’ data was not in any way compromised.”
He stated, “subsequently, some further information came to fore, and as a result of that, I have decided to conduct an independent, thorough investigation into the matter.”
The Board, he said, has formed a subcommittee, and have identified a local company that would play a significant role in the ensuing investigations.
On the national security component, the Minister will also be “looking and speaking to some international partners to recommend someone that is from outside of Trinidad and Tobago to come in and make that determination for us.”
He emphasised the need for an inquiry for transparency, so the people of Trinidad and Tobago could understand what took place, how it was managed when it was first detected, and what ought to be done to prevent the occurrence from happening again.
The Minister assured citizens, “this report is not going to be swept under the carpet. It is too serious a matter that can undermine the security and the stability of the country for this situation to be treated with lightly.”
He added, “I think all of us stand to be potential victims of this cyber-attack.” Gonzales revealed that his data was also breached as well as “other members of government, members of parliament, people in the business sector, ordinary citizens.”
On preventing future breaches, Gonzales said he has been in contact with the Minister of Digital Transformation to get international experts to ensure “our ICT infrastructure is robust enough to prevent these things from happening.” TSTT has also contacted experts and “put systems in place to isolate the breach and to prevent an occurrence from happening.”
T&T enjoys low electricity rates
Switching topics, Gonzales addressed the RIC’s first proposed electricity rate increase in 16 years. He explained that while the RIC has authority on rate reviews, before any increase is implemented, “from a policy perspective, the matter is placed before the Cabinet.”
He made it clear that, “it’s not likely that we’re going to see that increase in rates, any proposed increase in rates before the end of this year.” Implementation requires a 21-day notice period and internal preparation by the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission (T&TEC).
While acknowledging concerns about the rate hike diminishing the value of the increased minimum wage, Gonzales pointed out, “even before this proposed rate increase, the government has been spending over $70 million in electricity rebate policy” and subsidising bills of vulnerable citizens. He said current subsidies and rebates will remain in place but must be reviewed to better target those in need.
The Minister also highlighted that under current rates, the government pays billions in subsidies so that T&TEC does not have to pay the National Gas Company of Trinidad & Tobago (NGC) the full price for natural gas used to generate electricity. The government pays a bill of $5 billion. “….every single citizen and every single business, every single organisation, church organisation, non-profit organisation, benefit from” he said.
As it stands now, Trinidad and Tobago enjoys the lowest rates of electricity, not only in the Caribbean, just second from Suriname. With the proposed rate increase by the RIC, with reference to the international benchmark, T&T would still be paying the lowest rates of electricity in the entire Caribbean and in the Western Hemisphere and internationally.
In closing, Gonzales urged citizens to conserve electricity, “you have the power to control the amount of lights that you have on, your television, your air conditioning….’’
