A bill aimed at dramatically raising the financial consequences for damaging or stealing telecommunications infrastructure was laid before Parliament on Tuesday, signaling a tougher stance on crimes that disrupt phone and data services.
During his 2025/26 Sectoral Debate presentation, Minister of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport Daryl Vaz revealed that operators recently absorbed more than US $200,000 in repair costs from a single act of sabotage—yet offenders risked only modest penalties. “We treat organized crime with zero tolerance,” Vaz said. “The same decisive pressure is coming for anyone who targets our communications lifelines.”
The Law Reform (Amendment of Penalties) Act, introduced by Minister of Finance and the Public Service Fayval Williams, would sharply increase fines and other sanctions for trespass, interference or tampering with telecom facilities. Industry players have long argued that inadequate penalties encourage repeat offenses and inflate operating costs.
Vaz also reflected on Hurricane Beryl’s impact, stressing that the storm exposed how telecom networks rely on power, fuel and other utilities. He reported that carriers have since committed to faster pre-storm deployment of critical gear, plus investments in backup generators and solar arrays to keep towers online during grid outages.
“With a more agile, better-equipped sector, we expect markedly higher uptime this hurricane season and beyond,” the minister told lawmakers, promising continued oversight to ensure providers deliver on those pledges.
