The general manager of the Pompano Beach Club has become the first person to be charged in connection with Government's battle with cut-rate call-back telephone service operators.

Larry Lamb appeared in Magistrates' Court yesterday charged with three telecommunications offences.

Under new laws enacted in late 2000, if convicted of assisting an illegal call-back company, Lamb can face $50,000 in fines and up to two years in prison.

Lamb pleaded not guilty to possession of radio-receiving apparatus without a licence from the Telecommunications Ministry, maintaining public telecommunications services to facilitate call-back services and operating an unlicensed call-back service.

Yesterday, Telecommunications Director Greg Swan confirmed that Lamb was the first person to be charged in connection with offences related to the provision of call-back services.

Mr. Swan said Government was also lobbying the Federal Communications Commission to intervene with New York-based GlobalTel in the US and Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb met again with FCC officials last month.

Lamb was represented in court by lawyer Alan Dunch of Mello, Jones and Martin.

He told acting Senior Magistrate Edward King that he wanted time to talk over some of his concerns about the charges with the prosecution.

"We have some concerns over whether the proper person has been charged,'' Mr.

Dunch said. Yesterday, however, Mr. Dunch did not return calls related to the case.

Yesterday, the matter was set down for mention in an upcoming plea court session, but, Mr. King also set down a trial date.

"In case that doesn't pan out properly, we'll have our foot in the door,'' said Mr. King.

Lamb is charged with possessing and operating the illegal equipment between December 22 and 28 of last year.

Government banned the call-back services in November, saying the services operated without a licence, base or employees in Bermuda. Minister Renee Webb estimated that they skimmed between $3 and $10 million worth of overseas calls every year from the economy.

Government and GlobalTel have been involved in a heated battle since early this year as the company allegedly continued to flout Bermuda's ban on call-back services.

While there are believed to be two other call-back services operating locally, GlobalTel has been the most aggressive -- bombarding potential customers with voicemail advertisements both before and after Government tried to shut down the service.

And Government suspected that the company may have been behind a flood of calls to Bermuda's 911 system which threatened to freeze local emergency response.