the reconvening of Parliament Government Chief Whip Ottiwell Simmons launched a stinging attack on the Bermuda Telephone Company in Parliament yesterday.

He called on Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb to ring the changes after BTC ignored his plea to fix his phone quickly to allow him to get on with his Government businesses.

"Hear me loud and clear -- I have told the telephone company that I consider my job of critical importance to this parliament.'' "I asked to be put on the priority list.'' But he said his phone had yet to be fixed a week later.

"At this moment I feel for the people of this country who rely on the telephone.

"The service at BTC is unacceptable. It's very bad. It's unreliable.'' He said the minister had an obligation to get BTC to improve its service.

Mr. Simmons said: "I implore the Minister of Telecommunications to get on and do her job.

"International companies rely on telecommunications and Bermudian businesses rely on telecommunications.'' He said he relied on BTC's infrastructure for phone, fax and Internet lines but if the community had anything like the problems he had the service was "very, very bad.'' Mr. Simmons went on: "I would like the telephone company to straighten itself out and give the service they are being paid for.'' Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb admitted the service at BTC "does leave a lot to be desired''.

But she said the need for extra phone and fax lines as well as ordinary phone lines put a lot of pressure on the infrastructure.

She said one way to make BTC more responsive was to have local competition.

She said: "When dealing with a monopoly you have no choice but to use the incumbent.'' Ms Webb said Government was trying to get Quantum up and running after the court case imposed on it by BTC.

"We are trying our best to get the situation in hand but clearly the Government is not going to buy the second carrier - it's the private sector.

"What we require is BTC to improve its service level.'' She said a sub-committee had been set up to try and resolve some of the problems.

"We do have the situation in hand but it's far from being resolved.'' Ottiwell Simmons