by Lannie Walker

Guam - Telecommunications company IT&E may have gotten Governor Felix Camacho's support in their push to receive Phase II of broadband stimulus funding totaling $89,000,000, but today the association for Fair and Competitive Telecommunications (FACT) met with senators, seeking to educate them about IT&E's grant application.

FACT says the additional grant is unnecessary, with GTA TeleGuam Executive Vice-President of External and Legal Affairs Dan Tydingco saying, "This is for the benefit of our employees. 325 met as a group [to discuss] potential repercussions of an $89,000,000 grant to our company, should it come to pass, change the telecommunications landscape and potential impact on GTA."

But chairman of the Committee on Telecommunications, Senator Tom Ada, couldn't commit just yet on whether they would support GTA, only that more research should be done. "$89,000,000 to public telecommunications system is nothing to sneeze at and turn away; my position is that if we feel grant is going to be detrimental, we should be able to articulate what we would like to see to ensure a win-win situation."

IT&E recently received $8,000,000 in broadband stimulus funding that will go toward developing telecom infrastructure for Guam and the region.

For more information about FACT, call 644-FACT (3228) or e-mail fact@teleguam.net