The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) will launch a public consultation on consumer protection and rights regulations later this year, its director of policy and regulation, adding that it also planned to form a Consumer Advisory Council.

During URCA’s last town meeting on Cable Bahamas’ proposed 27 per cent increase in its monthly charge for basic cable TV service, Stephen Bereaux said the regulator recognised there were significant issues regarding the quality of service provided in the Bahamian communications sector.

“They range from issues like the actual technical quality of what you get to issues related to fairness in charges, fairness in policies and a number of other issues,” Mr Bereaux said.

“This is our problem; we are mandated to address those issues. We feel that in addition to whatever happens based on this (Cable Bahamas’) application, there is a lot of work to be done in putting in place a set of clear rules and standards.

“There are some, but there are inadequate standards, rules and policies in place as to how your electronic communications providers relate to their customers.”

Mr Bereaux added: “We’re developing comprehensive sets of standard rights and obligations that will apply to all providers in the sector, and we will be consulting on that as soon as we can after this process.

“That is going to cover everything. It’s going to cover how services are provided to you on a day-to-day basis.”

Mr Bereaux said URCA hoped the public would come out and participate in that process, as it has done on the proposed Cable Bahamas fee increase.

Mr Bereaux said URCA also planned to form a Consumer Advisory Council. “When you look at the United States and other places, there are various organidations that advocate for consumer rights, and there are very few of those in The Bahamas,” he added.

“What we are doing is we intend to form a Consumer Advisory Council. We are calling on people to join and sit on this council, and help us to hear what you have to say as consumers.

“We will be putting out invitations to people to come join this Council. It will be a voluntary thing, but certainly you would get to have a voice, and you get to participate and give us the information we need about what is actually happening,” said Mr Bereaux.

“There are 20 of us [at URCA] here in Nassau and that’s not even enough to cover New Providence in terms of really getting into what is happening. The Consumer Advisory Council will be formed and we will be consulting on the consumer protection and consumer rights regulation later this year.”

URCA’s public consultation on Cable Bahamas’ proposed 27 per cent increase in its monthly charge for basic cable TV service ends Friday.

The BISX-listed communications operator applied for a price increase to its SuperBasic cable television service, currently marketed as its RevTv prime cable television package, last December.

The proposed increases would mean a per month price increase of $8 for residential customers and $13.50 for commercial customers. URCA executives noted that the current rates of $30 and $50 have not changed since the communications operator entered the market 18 years ago.

URCA executives reiterated at the regulator’s final town meeting on Tuesday night that no decision has been made as yet with regard to the proposed price increase.