International has taken legal action against the Ministry of Telecommunications.

A day after Cable & Wireless filed a writ in the Supreme Court, TeleBermuda has followed suit with an identical action. North Rock is also unhappy and said it is considering legal proceedings.

The turmoil in the telephone market comes after a decision by Government at the start of the month to allow Internet Service Providers to muscle into the telecommunications giants territory and provide long distance services and at the same time allowing Cable & Wireless and BTC into the Internet market.

According to TBI General Manager James Fitzgerald, the action has been taken to make ensure the company can appeal against the ruling by Minister of Telecommunications and E-commerce Renee Webb.

Mr. Fitzgerald said: "It is the same type of writ as C&W seeking a date change.'' Both companies are seeking leave to extend the 30-day period of appeal allowed by Telecommunications laws against the minister's ruling.

The Minister has said that both companies can have a stay.

But legal advice from both companies states that Ms Webb does not have the authority to waive the 30-day rule.

"Our understanding is that 30 days is cast in concrete and the Minister cannot extend the date of appeal, and as we want to be part of the proceedings we filed the action,'' said Mr. Fitzgerald.

"It is not necessarily going to happen, but if we want to be part of it filing this action gives us the option to do so.'' TBI has said that it objects to the telecommunications ruling on the grounds that not all players have had to put in the same investment in infrastructure and are therefore not on an equal footing.

James Fitzgerald TBI hits Govt. with legal action Yesterday The Royal Gazette revealed that Internet provider North Rock could challenge Government in court over allowing C&W into the local market.

North Rock, one of the Island's two Internet providers, is crying foul that it has been put in direct competition with telecommunications giants C&W and TBI.

And it says that small local providers will have a hard time competing with companies with that kind of capital.

C&W filed a writ on Tuesday against the Ministry of Telecommunications and have repeatedly said the move could lead to them pulling out of a $110 million proposed investment in their facilities in Bermuda.

Controversy has surrounded the decision earlier this month of Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb announcement that Government was changing the law to allow local Internet service providers to provide long distance calling facilities using the Internet, and giants C & W and TBI to enter the Internet market by allowing them to provide services to businesses.

Ms Webb said she had given something to everyone and taken away something from everyone, but all sides, bar Logic, have violently complained about the deal.

C&W has threatened to scrap plans for a $110 million investment on the Island because of the new competition in the long distance phone market.

TBI complained that it was not a level playing field with Internet service providers having fewer overheads.

Logic is happy because it got what it wanted after a two-year battle for the right to use the Internet for long distance calls, but has slammed C&W for threatening to pull investment.

North Rock also disapproves of C&W threats. It also says it is not interested in voice over Internet protocol, and has only been given unfair competi ERROR The way that this story ends is not an editing oversight. This is the way the story appears in the newspaper.