The government of Antigua and Barbuda has enacted strengthened legal provisions that will impose maximum fines of up to EC$50,000 on telecommunication service providers that fail to turn over requested customer and network data to law enforcement agencies within a reasonable timeframe, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has publicly confirmed.
The policy update comes in direct response to longstanding barriers that local police investigators have reported encountering when seeking critical telecommunication data to advance active criminal cases. During a recent appearance on the local *Browne and Browne Show*, Assistant Commissioner of Police Lisbon Michael first brought the systemic challenge to public attention, explaining that mobile phone evidence seized from crime scenes is often one of the most powerful tools for investigators to identify potential suspects and map connections between co-conspirators in illegal activity. Despite the central role that this data plays in solving crimes, Michael noted that law enforcement teams continue to face unnecessary delays and pushback from a subset of service providers operating in the country. “We still have a few challenges with some of the service providers in terms of coming forward with information,” he told the program.
In his formal response to these disclosed obstacles, Prime Minister Browne directed senior police leadership to document every instance of non-compliance and forward those reports to his administration for immediate legal action. The prime minister specifically named the four major telecommunication providers operating in Antigua and Barbuda—Digicel, APUA, PCS, and Flow—stating that any of the firms that refuse to meet law enforcement information requests will face legal consequences. “If you have any issue with Digicel, APUA, PCS and Flow in terms of providing the police with information, let us know,” Browne said. “We will invoke the law, take them to court and fine them accordingly.”
Browne emphasized that the ceiling for fines for non-compliance has been raised to the new maximum of EC$50,000 specifically to act as a meaningful deterrent against delays and uncooperative behavior. He detailed that investigators frequently recover mobile devices from suspected criminals, only to wait extended periods for required data from service providers, who often put forward repeated excuses to avoid turning over records. The updated legislation is designed to eliminate these delays by mandating timely compliance with all lawful law enforcement requests.
“We have strengthened the laws now to make sure that they are compelled to provide information in a timely manner, failing which they will pay a hefty fine,” Browne added. As of the public announcement, neither the prime minister nor law enforcement leadership has identified any telecommunication company that has already been prosecuted or fined under the newly strengthened legal provisions.