overview of his ministry and its various departmental workings.

Starting with Government Information Services, the Minister profiled the 14-person operation which comprises of one Director, support staff, a photo service, and a printing section.

GIS serves Government by managing, directing, and relaying information throughout the Island he said, and is at the disposal of all Ministries.

Printing services as a matter of example, last year produced about 500 posters and pamphlets for various departments.

The photo section is comprised of award-winning photographers and one darkroom technician. Together they turn out thousands of Island images yearly, many to be found throughout Department of Tourism publications and stock image banks, and the Archives.

The Minister also announced it was anticipated the photo section would be, through attrition, shrunk by one person.

The Minister then moved on to the "unseen hand of Government,'' the Department of Public Affairs which offers communication, speech writing, and editing services to all departments of Government.

Public Affairs additionally coordinates press conferences and press coverage of issues current to Government.

It also produces written matter pertaining to Bermuda for bodies such as the United Nations.

The Minister also announced GIS would soon be taking to the Internet with its own Web page, though he did not inform the House when the launch would be taking place.

Seventy-seven percent of the Department's budget of $833,000, he added, was used to pay staff.

Shadow Minister Walter Lister rose to respond to the Minister's statement, agreeing that while the department is small it serves a vital purpose.

And he endorsed the idea of Web site for GIS, saying it was a great idea which would serve Bermuda well.

Mr. Lister also paid tribute to the printing division of GIS, and suggested it could be more competitive if its operations were consolidated.

The Minister agreed, saying Government was doing more pre-press work than ever, and was also putting some work out to tender.

Mr. Barritt then shifted attention to the more controversial area of telecommunications, an area undergoing a revolution not only in technology, but how that technology is used, controlled, and interfaced.

Government moved two years ago to adapt to the swiftly changing telecommunications world he said, when it signalled the advent of competition.

"Large countries such as the US, England, and Canada are already doing it, and this revolution promises to pay dividends beyond the peace dividend,'' he said.

The issue of telecommunications reform is not just one of cheaper telephone service, it's an issue of global forces, an issue of nations adjusting to the fast-track of rapidly-changing technology.

And the transition, said Mr. Barritt, will not be easy; but reform must come or Bermudians will have it thrust upon them.

Mr. Barritt pointed to the recent World Trade Organisation's telecommunications pact, which charts the course for a globally competitive industry.

Bermuda he said must approach the pact with caution. And he said the Island would be following Canada's example of limiting foreign ownership of the entire industry.

"We want to provide a product so Bermudians can participate in their own marketplace,'' he said.

Mr. Barritt also noted the 1986 Telecommunications Act, once very progressive, has been superceded by changing technology and needs to be updated.

In addition to TeleBermuda being granted a licence to operate a competing overseas communication, two other companies, Bermuda Digital Communications Ltd. (for cellular service) and North Atlantic Communications Ltd. (to operate a fibre-optic ring) had been offered licences.

Meanwhile, the Department itself was undergoing change, with the opening of new offices on Victoria Street and the creation of a new, unspecified position.

The Department, said Mr. Barritt, has thus far granted 14,737 licences for devices ranging from mobile two-way radios, marine band radios, and airline registrations.

It also operates the Emergency Broadcast System, oversees the operations of Bermuda CableVision, and regulates movie ratings through the Broadcast Commission.

The Minister also vowed he would be addressing the House regarding tighter enforcement of movie ratings in the future.

Mr. Lister agreed with the Minister on the need to introduce competition to Bermuda, noting the progress brought about by the break-up of "Ma Bell'' in the US.

Mr. Lister also paid tribute to Telco and Cable & Wireless for service to the community and for their efforts in training and investing in Bermudians over the years.

In spite of their contributions, however, Mr. Lister agreed it was time to open up the industry and he expressed the hope that new telecommunications companies arriving on the Island would operate to the same high standards set by Telco and Cable & Wireless.

And he urged Government to ensure Bermudians would be the first to gain employment through the reformed telecommunications industry: "It's in our interest in creating jobs for young Bermudians, and we must ensure Bermudians get the first crack at those jobs,'' he told the House.

Mr. Lister went on to note how pervasive communications are across the Island, by telling members in 1985 Bermudians placed 2,420,000 overseas calls. By 1990 that number had grown to over 5.5 million.

That phenomenal growth shows how vital telecommunications is to an isolated mid-Atlantic outpost and its growing international business sector.

While Cable & Wireless, which employs 120 persons on the Island, has invested heavily here, it must be prepared to compete in the new telecommunications order.

Mr. Lister noted, however, the UK-based firm already competes internationally and offers world-class service at any rate.

The Minister of Finance Grant Gibbons praised Mr. Barritt for his clear and lucid presentation of telecommunications policy, and agreed too that the end was in sight for protected monopolies.

He also underscored the "convergence'' of revolutionary forces confronting the Island and the world.

The coming together of computers and telecommunications, mainly through the Internet, was analagous to another monumental convergance of technology, the coming together of books, binding, and the Guttenberg press, he said.

By the year 2000 it is predicted one billion people will be surfing the Internet, and the phenomenal growth of a product such as Netscape boggles the mind.

"We're really dealing with a special time,'' said Dr. Gibbons, who impressed on the members how vital computers were to Bermuda's future.

Potential exists for Bermuda to develop third industry, House members hear The Finance Minister also cited a Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) study which pointed out countries which moved to reform their communications infrastructure would enjoy a dividend measured by lower prices, increased innovation, productivity gains, and a rising national income.

And Bermuda, he noted, was unique among small jurisdications because it was forging ahead with the changes: "We are being watched carefully by our neighbours to the south,'' he told the House.

Meanwhile, the move to competition is not being rushed, all parties are being consulted and the exercise has been inclusive.

Dr. Gibbons also noted there existed potential for the Island to develop a third industry based on telecommunications expertise, possibly set up at one of the base lands. A deregulated industry would also help attract industries which rely heavily on telecommunications.

Despite some "teething problems'' he added, increasing technology will inevitably lead to an expansion of opportunity.

The PLP's Stanley Morton concurred deregulation was healthy, but drew attention to the need to train Bermudians in the emerging technologies.

"Of a budget of $7 million allocated to telecommunications I see no money allocated to training in this industry.'' He added every Island household should not only be encouraged to buy a computer, but youth should be trained in operations and maintentance; "that way we won't be so afraid of outsiders coming in and telling us what to do,'' he said to jeers from the Government bench.

Adding his voice to the debate, Minister of Transport Wayne Furbert rose to face a completely empty PLP bench.

"I can't believe I'm talking to no one on the Opposition bench,'' he chided, as Mr. Morton quickly moved to find collect bodies to fill the vacated seats.

As he was doing that, however, Mr. Barritt took a seat across from his UBP colleagues, barely able to suppress a wide grin.

As PLP members filtered back to the chamber Mr. Furbert replied to Mr.

Morton's comments, noting the Minister of Education would have to speak on the matter of computer training.

He too acknowledged the awesome growth of the Internet and its increasing pervasiveness in commercial, entertainment, and educational life.

And Bermudians, Mr. Furbert noted, are already at the fore in the telecommunications industry; according to the 1994 Manpower survey, of 600 people working in the field, 580 were Bermudian.

Sir John Swan added his voice to the call for Bermudians to seize the initiative and expertise in telecommunications.

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, he told members, Bermuda has suffered a decline in fortune, most noticeable in falling tourism numbers. With the advent of deregulation of global telecommunications the Island has an opportunity to reclaim its geographical advantage by placing itself at the centre of the digital revolution.

He also urged training to ensure Bermudians be not only academically educated, but relevantly educated as well.

Technology, Sir John told the House, is going to play an increasing role in the Island economy and the opportunity must be seized to put Bermuda at the centre of what's going on.

But Bermudians have to act quickly, he urged, because the opportunity "is moving at the speed of light.'' Mr. Barritt closed out the debate, noting support for de-regulation was evident from both sides of the House.

He then spoke to clarify his position regarding Cable & Wireless, telling the House it was his personal opinion the UK-based company should incorporate its operations here as a local company to allow Bermudians to participate on an equity basis; "to get a piece of the action.'' He noted Bermudians were world leaders in talking on the telephone, leading the way in placing international calls.

And the Island is well-placed to sell itself as an international hub for rerouting calls to different hemispheres and continents.

Ministry of Information and Technology 1997/98 estimates Ministry responsibility: To provide support to the Government of Bermuda by promoting effective communications between the Government and the people of Bermuda and by assisting the telecommunications authority in the orderly development of telecommunications in Bermuda.

Budget estimate: $1,623,000 (last year $1,642,000) Budget allocations Telecommunications $520,000 Government Information Services $1,093,000 Revenue ($7,000,000)