And from the Belize Bureau of Standards, we move on to their sister institution, the Public Utilities Commission.
They're the state's referees that ensure that the utility companies, such as BEL, Digi, and Belize Water Services Limited, provide reliable service to Belizean consumers at a fair price. But, of course, that price has to be balanced so that Belizean consumers aren't forced to pay an inordinately high utility bill while allowing the utility companies an opportunity to recover a fair return on investment.
It's a vital role that they play. But, the Belizean public mostly hears from them when there's bad news that your light bill or water bill will go up. That limited public interfacing has caused Belizeans to develop negative opinions about this regulator.
So, in an attempt to lift the mystery about their consumer protection efforts, the leadership of the PUC hosted an information-sharing session with the press. It lasted two hours and here's the PUC's Ernesto Gomez'ss explanation about the autonomy that his organization must enjoy to perform its functions:
