by Nick Delgado

Guam - Recent concerns by GTA TeleGuam have Governor Felix Camacho fired up, with the island's chief executive standing his ground and calling for terminations at the telecommunications company. It all centers on the recent award of $8 million to local IT&E. The company was awarded as the first phase of a federal grant to develop infrastructure for Guam and the region.

Governor Camacho is frustrated after reports surfaced about a conflict of interest he allegedly has with IT&E and a recent stimulus grant the company recently received. He said, "Accusations that I as governor showed one company an act of favoritism because a family member of mine is employed there is absolutely false and offensive."

Over the weekend a post was made on the blog StimulatingBroadband.com alleging the governor wrote an endorsement letter to the feds, resulting in IT&E being awarded THE stimulus grant to develop telecom infrastructure for Guam and the region. The blog further insinuated the company got preferential treatment because the Governor's brother worked there.

Camacho argues that his brother, Carlos, has worked for IT&E for 15 years and will not benefit from the federal dollars coming in. The governor says that he did not provide any endorsements to the recent $8 million award to IT&E, and that all efforts from Adelup were given to allow for an endorsement for the second phase of the grant. "Rather than focus on the merits of IT&E's application to National Telecommunications and Information Administration, GTA management chooses to address this issue with a personal attack against my family. This is insulting, elementary, it is perverse and it is foolish."

The governor believes GTA was behind the allegations and post made on StimulatingBroadband.com. He also alleges he was recently confronted by GTA's Dan Moffat threatening him that if he does not rescind his endorsement, then close to 150 jobs at GTA will be on the line.

Maintaining that he does not give in to political threats, Camacho said that while he believes GTA may join with other competitors to make this a political issue, he will not withdraw any endorsements he has made. "I find it really insulting to all the people of Guam that this company and its management would threaten me politically, that would make accusations against my family, and that they would even take this route," said the governor.

He sternly added, "If f I were the board of directors that owns GTA, I would have Dan Moffat's job and [GTA executive vice president of external and legal affairs] Dan Tydingco's job on their table immediately - they should be terminated."

As for any concerns that Guam is not an underserved area, Camacho feels its an issue that GTA will have to take up the NTIA on their own.

Late this afternoon, GTA issued a statement saying they are evaluating media reports on the governor's press conference and will have a response when they've completed that assessment. Likewise, IT&E issued a press release providing a chronology of how they were awarded the grant.