Topic: OfReg
OfReg claims dispute ‘resolved’
A heated dispute between Linford Pierson, the chair of OfReg, and his deputy Ronnie Dunn has been “amicably and responsibly resolved,” according to a press statement from the regulator’s public relations firm.
EDITORIAL – At OfReg: Dignity and decorum must be restored
Never let it be doubted: Mr. Pierson is a loyal patriot who deeply loves his country. It is for that very reason – love of country – that he must resign.
Threats of physical violence erupt at contentious OfReg board meeting
OfReg chair Linford Pierson threatened to “box” his deputy during a heated board meeting after it was suggested Mr. Pierson may have broken the Anti-Corruption Law, according to minutes of the utilities regulator’s board.
OfReg appoints acting dual CEOs
The Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, announced on Tuesday that it has appointed Duke Munroe and Gregg Anderson to serve as “Acting CEOs on a rotational basis” until a new CEO is appointed permanently.
Christen Suckoo transferred to OfReg
Christen Suckoo has been seconded to serve as the chief operating officer at the Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, after serving as chief officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, Agriculture and Lands.
Still no license agreement for Consolidated Water
Consolidated Water’s quarterly report stated that its subsidiary, Cayman Water, still has not reached a licensing deal with government to serve customers in the Seven Mile Beach and West Bay areas.
JOURNAL: OfReg battles 18 months of challenges
When the Utility Competition and Regulation Office, known as OfReg, was formed in early 2017, it was touted as a “one-stop shop” regulator for telecommunications, electricity, petroleum and water.
Regulator: Gas prices have ‘plateaued’
Increasing fuel prices in the Cayman Islands may have “plateaued” in mid-to-late June and could head down later in the summer, according to the islands’ utilities and commodities regulator.
OfReg’s 2018 budget is larger than last year’s
The Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, budgeted roughly $5.6 million in operating expenses for 2018, which is some $1 million more than the regulator spent last year.
EDITORIAL – You decide: ‘OfReg’ or ‘RipOff Reg’?
OfReg, despite its unclear pronunciation and cryptic branding (it’s pronounced “OFFReg” and is derived from the semantic marriage of “Office” and “Regulation”), is nonetheless becoming a household word – and not a good one.
Records detail OfReg’s $387K in travel expenses
The Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, has spent at least another $132,895 on travel-related expenses this year, according to OfReg records obtained by the Compass.
MAIL CALL: Consultant fees
Many Compass readers were shocked to learn how much OfReg spent on consultant fees last year. Editorial Writer Jennifer Hemmingsen shares some reactions.
OfReg consultants
Today's editorial cartoon
OfReg pushing to increase regulatory fees
After facing a nearly $1.5 million operating deficit in 2017, the Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, is pushing for a number of fee increases across the sectors it regulates.
Faced with legal threats, C3 stops airing World Cup games
The telecommunications company C3 has stopped airing World Cup games after a brief legal dispute with Logic, the company that owns the exclusive rights to broadcast the tournament in Cayman.
OfReg spends $1M on consultants
The Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, spent some $2.2 million on salaries and benefits for 22 employees last year, and also had to spend more than $1 million on consultants because the staff lack the skills to carry out the office’s regulatory work, according to OfReg’s 2017 annual report.
OfReg spent $234K traveling last year
The Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, spent $234,233 on travel-related activities last year, according to the utilities and commodities regulator’s 2017 annual report.
Regulator wades into local fuel market
Cayman’s utilities and commodities regulator is seeking a comprehensive review of the local fuel market with an eye toward establishing “effective supervision” of that market.
Gas up 30 cents since April
Grand Cayman has seen a 30 cent average per gallon hike in the price of regular, unleaded gasoline sold by the two large petroleum importers since the beginning of April, according to figures provided by the territory’s utilities and commodities regulator.
Court hearing begins for telecom fiber network dispute
A judicial review hearing began on Monday over a dispute between Caribbean Utilities Company subsidiary DataLink and the Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg.
EDITORIAL – Is OfReg becoming a troubled – and troubling – regulator?
OfReg, Cayman’s “super-regulator,” wants an emergency infusion of one million dollars. Government shouldn’t give it to them. Regulators should be starved, not fattened.
OfReg chief: Don’t discourage fuel market competition
The Cayman Islands fuel market would be better served by additional competitors rather than outright price controls, the territory’s chief commodities regulator told lawmakers last week.
OfReg to commission study on internet speeds
The Utility Regulation and Competition Office has signed a memorandum of understanding with U.K. researcher SamKnows to study local internet speeds, OfReg telecommunications regulator Alee Fa’amoe told the Public Accounts Committee Wednesday.
OfReg seeks $1 million cash injection
Cayman’s recently formed utilities and commodities regulator, OfReg, has asked for a $1 million cash injection from government to make up a funding shortfall that the agency says was not addressed when the British Overseas Territory combined its various regulatory agencies last year.
Government telecom licensees not paying fees
Some government entities that are licensed to provide telecommunications services by the territory’s regulator are not paying their annual licensing fees, a senior official at the agency confirmed Wednesday.
10 cent hike noted in local gas prices
A one-week average hike of about 10 cents per gallon for unleaded gasoline was reported in the first week of April by Cayman’s utilities and commodities regulator.
Sol responds to critical report
Sol Petroleum says it will work with fuels regulators to maintain a safe environment at the Jackson Point terminal, following an investigation report highlighting its culpability in a potentially catastrophic fire.
Welding caused fuel terminal fire, report finds
A potentially catastrophic fire at Grand Cayman’s fuel terminal last July was caused by welding work on an in-service diesel tank that was not properly monitored and should not have taken place, according to an investigation report from the fuels inspectorate.
TV regulation
Today's editorial cartoon
EDITORIAL – Will the evolution of ‘local content’ be televised?
Who says Cayman doesn’t get “snow”? When it comes to government’s regulation of the country’s television market, the picture is full of static.
Premier: Government plans to expand fiber-optic network
Dissatisfied with the speed in which local telecommunications companies are expanding their fiber-optic cable networks to the island’s under-served eastern districts, Premier Alden McLaughlin has announced government’s intention to have the Utility Regulation and Competition Office (OfReg) build its own network throughout that area.
Billboards, sirens proposed for emergency alerts
A combination of electronic billboards, text messages and radio and television intercepts has been proposed to help alert the public in emergency scenarios.
Emergency sirens proposed for fuel depot
Sol Petroleum has made a proposal for an early warning siren system to better alert its neighbors in emergency scenarios after complaints about the handling of a mass evacuation following a fire at the South Church Street fuel depot.
CUC, OfReg plan major changes for consumers, renewable energy program
Seeking to diffuse peak power demands, the Caribbean Utilities Company will make major changes, starting this month, to its renewable energy program ahead of a report about allocating resources during the next 30 years.
OfReg rules for video broadcast, WiFi licensing proposed
Draft proposals to regulate information, communications and technology services in Cayman seek to exempt certain uses of wireless internet signals and internet streaming services from licensing requirements.
Sol to compensate Jackson Point fire evacuees
Sol Petroleum has confirmed that it will pay compensation to business owners and residents who were forced to pay for hotel stays after being evacuated in the wake of a fire at the Jackson Point fuel depot.
EDITORIAL – WiFi access: A weak signal from the regulator
Why should OfReg involve itself in any business’ decision to provide WiFi to its customers – whether it charges for the amenity or not?
Premier: No government support for new WiFi licensing/fees
Cayman Islands Premier Alden McLaughlin said Thursday that his coalition government would not support any effort to charge licensing fees to businesses that provide wireless internet access to customers on their premises.
Government contemplating licenses/fees for WiFi hot spots
Cayman’s telecommunications regulator is reviewing licensing for businesses that operate WiFi “hot spots” to determine which businesses, if any, should have to pay government fees.
OfReg approves increase in CUC rates
The Utility Regulation and Competition Office has approved a base rate adjustment for Caribbean Utilities Company in accordance with the Rate Cap Adjustment Mechanism contained in the company’s Transmission and Distribution License.
OfReg application process now online
The application process for the utility regulation and competition office (OfReg) is going digital.
OfReg issues notice to Wifi providers
At least nine companies are illegally charging people for access to the internet via Wifi hot spots, according to the Utility Regulation and Competition Office.
CUC suspends CORE renewable energy program
The Caribbean Utilities Company has suspended its private power-generation program for residential and business customers.
OfReg looks for public input on public input
The newly formed Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg, is holding its first public consultation exercise – on how it should conduct public consultation exercises.
New utilities regulator aims to bridge OfReg ‘skills gap’
The new chief executive of the commission charged with oversight of local utilities acknowledged a “skills gap,” but said he hoped to make Cayman “the Singapore of the Caribbean.” The CEO of Cayman’s new Utility Regulation and Competition Office offered a preliminary view of the issues he expected to face in his first weeks.
Utilities regulator begins operations
The government has appointed former telecommunications and works minister and Speaker of the House Linford Pierson as the first chairman of the newly formed Utility Regulation and Competition Office, known as OfReg.
