I use it to make cheeky remarks :-)

Elbert, you? Cheeky? Never? tee hee.

Sorry Bud - but why else would they do it? Skype, Vonage etc came into Belize with a force in 2003ish. BTL saw their casual international phone revenue take a nose dive. Once it became clear to users that VoIP technology was stable/clear, BTL started to see their business revenue from international crumble. As a provider with a very low average revenue per user (from locals) and an even lower user base, this was a problem. Did you know that telco companies in Belize pay 19% GOB tax on all revenue? Imagine US$20 million leaving BTL in the form of VoIP switchers - which is a very reasonable number. Almost US$4 million in lost tax revenue. This is why the government has never done a thing about VoIP blocking...

I'm not saying it's right, but don't fool yourself. It is ALL about the money.

You know more than me about this subject, Caye Connect, so you must be right. We do use Skype and in my opinion most of these conversations would not have been done by phone. I do still think it would be better for BTL and Belize to stop the blocking. I have seen many potential residents who depend on internet for their business choose for another country to reside in only because of the internet situation in Belize.