First female PUC chair to be sworn in today

Jun 21, 2017 News

As Guyana readies for more telecoms operators, with new laws in place, the administration is set today to swear in its first female chairperson to head the all-important Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

To be sworn in today: Dela Britton

Attorney-at-Law, Dela Britton, will replace Justice (ret’d) Prem Persaud, who headed up the PUC since its establishment in the early 90s. Almost 80 years old, he retired earlier this year.
PUC, which also regulates the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) and the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), is set to face some testing times with the telecoms sector expected to bring in new challenges.
According to the Ministry of Public Telecommunications, Persaud proceeded into retirement last March after serving the PUC for more than two decades.
“Ms. Britton had herself been serving as a PUC Commissioner, and she brings to this public utilities regulatory body a wealth of legal experience in Guyana and the USA. She was admitted to the Guyana Bar in November 1995 after completing her Legal Education Certificate (LEC) at the Hugh Wooding Law School.
According to the Ministry, a few years later, the former St. Joseph High School student enrolled in the Fordham University School of Law to pursue a Masters of Law (LLM) degree in International Trade Policy, Intellectual Property, Corporate Governance, International Law and more.
Over the past two decades, Britton, now 45 authored and co-authored a number of selected papers and publications while serving as a Managing Partner at the local law firm Britton, Hamilton and Adams.
The Ministry said Britton has been the legal counsel/expert for an array of large and medium sized industrial business concerns, commercial banks and international organizations like CARICOM and the UNDP.
In addition, as a consultant/trainer with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), she was integrally involved in several interventions concerning rights and conditions, health, education and general welfare for Guyana’s women and children.
“Ms. Britton intends to apply her broad repertoire of skills to the government’s bid to strengthen the effectiveness of the Public Utilities Commission which was established to regulate and monitor every public and private sector utility, ensuring that they operate at industry standards.”
The PUC was established in October 1990 under the Public Utilities Commission Act No. 26. This piece of legislation was subsequently amended four times – in 1991, 1994, 1999 and 2016. The Commission consists of a Chairman who serves on a full-time basis, and three Commissioners appointed to serve part-time.