Letter to Clive Mullings, Minister in charge of all things dot com and telecom

Kingston,Jamaica–CliveMullings has been named Minister of Mining, Energy and Telecommunications in the new Jamaica Labour Party led Government. He will of course have responsibilities for all things dotcom and telecom. Welcome Sir!

Dear Minister Mullings,

We look forward to hearing your plans regarding your ministry and while we know ethanol will be a top priority as it should, the dotcom and telecom industry and its main issues have been chomping at the bits waiting your arrival, happy to see the back of your predecessor and his team who simply didn’t “get it” fully and only did loads of talking about “it”.

We hope at least these three things make your top10 things to get done list are:

1. Increasing internet broadband penetration- This will spawn a digital culture and along with it growth in website development, software development, ecommerce and online advertising – on both the demand and supply sides.

2. Facilitating real incubators with knowledgeable and entrepreneurial staff- A successful tech incubator is yet to open here. One that engages, educates, excites, funds and launch viable dotcom and telecom companies. I personally love what idealab.com has been doing.

3. Create Funding paths for tech startups and companies via banks who “get it”, angel and venture capitalist who understand that the next hot spots and hot shots will be Caribbean and Latin American– Handouts is not what industry entrepreneurs and would-be tech entrepreneurs want, facilitation is pretty much all they require. Facilitating handshakes and face to face meetings with banks who get it and angel and venture capitalists who want to know about it. Worldclass Software, mobile and internet companies are working while they wait.

We ask that you seek to engage with dotcom and telecom entrepreneurs and experts, emerging and established. Do not cloud your team with clueless technocrats struggling along some learning curve or overpaid lawyers with a me first mentality. We have so much going for us here in terms of premium talent, drive, big viable ideas and we want you, your ministry team and OUR government to champion it all.

Sincerely
Ingrid Riley,New media consultant and tech entrepreneur