Phone company bosses have complained to Government over plans to change the law governing telecommunications, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

It is understood lawyers acting for the Bermuda Telephone Company (BTC) fired off a letter attacking some of the proposed changes.

It is believed BTC is arguing that parts of the amendment Act are unconstitutional.

And BTC's move may force Government to climbdown over its Telecommunications Amendment Act -- due for debate in the House of Assembly today.

That means Government may have to ring in the changes to the amendment -- or even withdraw it for re-drafting if they decide that BTC has a valid point.

The row is set to spark off a blistering attack by Opposition today.

But this week Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb was keeping her head down -- she did not return a series of calls from The Royal Gazette over several days.

The amendments to the Act were due to have come up in the House last week -- but the sitting closed early, said to be due to a shortage of MPs on the Government side after lunch.

Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb -- who should have led off the debate -- was at her daughter's sports day, but was expected to be back in the House later in the session.

BTC chiefs were last night staying tight-lipped over the grounds of their complaint.

But it is understood they could be angry at the removal of an insistence in the old law that both parties in any dispute had to agree to go the Telecommunications Commission.

Opposition leader and Shadow Telecommunications Minister Pamela Gordon said: "This Government has indicated it's their intent to be accountable and transparent.

"They apparently amended this Act somewhat in camera because they never consulted the carriers.'' Ms Gordon said the lengthy letter of complaint was delivered last week at "the eleventh hour''.

She added that Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb had "indicated they might reconsider their position because BTC is opposed to the amendment''.

Ms Gordon said: "It's shocking for us, at the eleventh hour, with something as important as telecommunications, that the carrier wasn't consulted in the first place.

"I would have at least thought that the Minister would have consulted the user groups to find out what they thought.

Earlier this year, a Supreme Court judge ruled in BTC's favour, saying Government did not have the power in a 1998 Ministerial Order forcing the firm to connect would-be rival Quantum to its network.

But Puisne Judge Meerabux -- in a writ brought by BTC on a Constitutional legal point -- later ruled that BTC had a duty as a licensed telecommunications carrier to connect Quantum.

But last night BTC bosses were tight-lipped over the contents of the letter.

MPs to debate amendments to telecom act Company chairman Dr. James King said: "If one has entered into correspondence with someone, that's a private matter.

"It's certainly not something I'm prepared to discuss with the press beforehand or before we get a response from the other party.'' MPs are also set to clash over a over a bid to formally add new political Attorney General Lois Browne to the Government payroll, with a $91,544 addition to her MPs salary to bring her up to the $125,000-plus earned by non-political AGs.