A RALLY AGAINST "ARMENTEL"

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[01:55 pm] 12 September, 2006

more images Today a rally was organized against "ArmenTel" opposite the
Ministry of Transportation and Communication. This time the initiators
of the rally were a number of companies providing Internet services.

The strikers claim that over 100 companies were deprived of telephone
connection without preliminary warning at 2:00 on September 7. When
they tried to make inquiries from the Committee Regulating Public
Services they were told that they must turn to "ArmenTel" with that
question as the Committee is not entitled to deal with the matter
bothering them. "When the Ministry of Transportation and Communication
regulated the sphere we had no problems on this score.

But now neither the Committee Regulating Public Services nor "ArmenTel"
want to fulfil their functions and obligations," says Gnel Militonyan,
head of one of the companies.

He assures that their activity doesn’t contradict the provisions of
License 60; they made their payments in due time and have faced no
problems. Then the participants of the rally headed to the Committee
Regulating Public Services to talk to Robert Nazaryants, chairman of
the Committee.

They have also issued a complaint-statement to the Committee
Regulating Public Services, President Kocharyan, RA NA Speaker and RA
Prime Minister. The statement says that many employees of companies
providing Internet services have been left without work because of
the telephone disconnection and they demand either to resume their
connection or to provide their workers with job. By the way, their
workers are mainly pensioners, invalids, students and most of them
live in regions. Over 50 companies signed the statement.

At present, the strikers are opposite the Committee Regulating Public
Services.