1. Background St. Lucia is part of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, with typical formations of strikingly beautiful volcanic rock. The country is exceptionally stunning with a dominance of high peaks and lush rain forest. The population of 160,000 is evenly spread between urban and rural areas within the 238 square miles island. The capital, Castries, houses more than one‐third of the population. Despite a relatively high emigration rate, the population is growing rapidly ‐ at about 5.4% per annum. St. Lucia has a per capita income of US$ 10,700 and is ranked 69th in the 2009 United Nation’s Human Development Report. In 2007, the labour force was estimated as 43,800 people, with an estimated unemployment rate of about 20%. The economy of the country was traditionally based on agriculture, with sugar being the main crop from the 17th century until the 1920s. Crops such as bananas, mangos, and avocados continue to be grown for export. However over the last few years, tourism has become the main source of income and is the biggest employer in the land. The currency of St. Lucia, the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, is a regional currency used by members of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union and is managed by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB). The ECCB has kept the EC$ stable at EC$ 2.7 = US$ 1. St. Lucia is a beneficiary of the U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative and is a member of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). The country hosts the Executive Secretariat of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The country gained independence in 1979 and Queen Elizabeth II is recognised as the Head of State of Saint Lucia ‐ represented by its Governor‐General. Executive power is in the hands of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The Prime Minister is usually the head of the political party winning the elections for the 17 Seat House of Assembly. St. Lucia has an independent judiciary composed of District Courts and a High Court. Cases can be appealed to the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeals and, ultimately, to the Privy Council in the United Kingdom. The development of regulatory and policy activities in information and communication technology (ICT) is carried out by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC). St. Lucia is the headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications (ECTEL) Authority, which has been developing policy, strategy, and regulations to liberalize and regulate the telecommunications sector in the OECS since 2004. Four draft bills are currently being [5]