(Eleuthera, Bahamas) – The Utilities Regulation & Competition Authority (URCA) was in Eleuthera on Thursday evening, July 11th, 2013, where they hosted a public meeting at the Cancer Society building in Palmetto Point. The meeting was part of two major initiatives launched by URCA on June 10th, 2013. The initiatives were described in an URCA release on the same date as, “An information and public awareness campaign leading up to a September 3rd, 2013 launch of ‘Number Portability’, and a public consultation exercise to establish regulations for the protection of consumers in the electronic communications sector (ECS).”
According to URCA, the consumer protection initiative resulted from widespread public feedback on issues of service quality in the ECS, and a new draft ‘Consumer Protection Regulations’ document has been released for public consultation. The regulations address areas which include, consumer sales, contracts and services, consumer obligations, advertising, billing and credit management, customer complaints handling, and customer quality of service standards.
The new Consumer Protection Regulations would apply to commercial service providers of landline telephone services, mobile telephone services (including SMS and MMS messaging), broadband and dialup internet services, pay television services, paging services and other services.
Representatives with URCA, Stephen Bereaux – Director of Policy & Regulation, and Waldon Russell – Assistant Case Officer, at the public meeting held on Thursday, gave a presentation on the new draft Consumer Protection Regulations being proposed for the protection of consumer rights within the electronic communications sector. They encouraged members of the public to review the draft regulations and to send in their feedback before the closing date for comments on August 2nd, 2013. The consumer summary of the released draft can be accessed online at (http://www.urcabahamas.bs/download/043837000.pdf).
(L-R) Waldon Russell – Assistant Case Officer, URCA; Stephen Bereaux – Director of Policy & Regulation, URCA; and Juanita Pinder – President, Eleuthera Cancer Society.
Public consultations are being held on a number of islands, shared, Mr. Bereaux, including Abaco, Andros, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, New Providence and San Salvador.
During the public meeting in Eleuthera, members of the audience asked many questions and shared a variety of concerns with the URCA representatives, including the unavailability of cable television services in a number of populated areas throughout the island, the two week long or more response time for repairs or maintenance of some internet and pay television services, the charging of or refusal to refund for lost services after hurricane down time, and a number of other service issues.
Bereaux, advised those in attendance and the general public to address concerns that were not being satisfied by their service providers directly to URCA through Email: info@urcabahamas.bs, Tel: 393-0234 or by Fax: 393-0153.
URCA Director of Policy & Regulation, Stephen Bereaux presented the new Consumer Protection Regulations to the public meeting audience in Eleuthera.
In the meeting, Russell and Bereaux also introduced the upcoming availability of ‘Number Portability’ on September 3rd, 2013, which will allow fixed and landline customers to switch providers, while keeping their original telephone number – relieving a major concern for commercial consumers in business continuity and enhanced convenience for home consumers.
This service will be available for islands where there is more than one fixed telephone service provider. Currently, those islands are Abaco, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama and New Providence.
