One Communications (Formerly Viya) Blasted in Senate Over Outsourcing, Tax Breaks, and Job Losses
A name change did not shield One Communications, formerly Viya, from being repeatedly reprimanded by members of the Senate Committee on Housing, Transportation, and Telecommunications on Wednesday.
2025-05-15 20:07:53 - VI News Staff
The complaints lobbed at the company were not novel. In a committee meeting just two months ago, lawmakers focused on shaky service and the outsourcing of the customer service branch to Guyana. What was new at Wednesday's meeting, apart from the company's name change, was the person whose responsibility it was to pacify agitated lawmakers. That task fell to One Communications’ recently appointed chief executive officer Siobhan James-Alexander.
“One Communications is a small fish in a very large pond. We compete with billion dollar companies…We need to be able to invest in technologies of the future…and we need to free up capital to do so as part of our continuing efforts to reshape the business,” explained Ms. James-Alexander. “We've had to make some really tough decisions,” she said, but maintained that One Communications has “been sensitive to the needs of our employees, particularly those who have served us for so long.” The company has made “every effort to smooth the transition back into the broader workforce,” the new CEO declared.
One Communications is a beneficiary of the University of the Virgin Islands’ RTPark, and therefore enjoys tax incentives. Senator Clifford Joseph wondered “how is it that you're moving jobs outside of the Virgin Islands or the territory while benefiting from our territory?”
“We are investing heavily in Virgin Islanders becoming part of our workforce,” responded Ms. James-Alexander. However, One Communications continues to assess how it can “be viable in an industry where cost is growing.”