The Tribune

The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) will host the 10th annual conference of the Organisation of Caribbean Utility Regulators (OOCUR), from November 7-9 next week at the Grand Lucayan Resort .

Under the theme ‘Utility Regulation in the Caribbean: A case of the Harmonisation of approaches to regulation’, the conference will be opened by Khaalis Rolle, minster of state for investments.

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) which preceded URCA, was one of six founding members, wof OOCUR.

To date, OOCUR has 12 full members, including regulatory bodies with responsibilities in telecommunications, electricity, natural gas, water and transportation sectors in the Caribbean.

This year’s annual meeting will include participants from countries throughout the Caribbean and also the US, UK and Ghana. Twenty five papers will be presented over the three-day conference, including two from URCA representatives.

URCA general counsel, Vincent Wallace-Whitfield, and Stephen Bereaux, who is director for policy and regulation, have jointly prepared a paper on Content Regulation and Number Portability in the Bahamas.

URCA engineer and assistant case officer, Waldon Russell, will present a case study on the “implementation of an automated spectrum monitoring metropolitan area network”.

Other presenters from the Bahamas will include Water and Sewerage Corporation general managerm Glen Lavillem and Cable Bahamas associate counsel, Nicole Watkins.