The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) is pleased to announce the publication of its 2023 Annual Report and the 2024 Annual Plan, in compliance with section 41 of the URCA Act 2009. These documents are foundational to URCA's mission of “Improving lives through effective utility regulation,” underscoring a commitment to transparency, integrity, and progressive utility management. The 2023 Annual Report, themed “Toward a Digital Bahamas,” details URCA's pivotal advancements in regulating the electronic communications and electricity sectors. Key highlights from the report include comprehensive performance metrics of URCA’s regulated sectors throughout 2023; accomplishments of critical objectives that reflect URCA's…
The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (“URCA”) is pleased to announce the publication of the Statement of Results and Final Decision on the Outage Reporting and Mitigation Regulations for the Electronic Communications Sector and the Outage Reporting and Mitigation Regulations of the Electronic Communications Sector (“the Regulations”). URCA’s public consultation on the Regulations commenced on 2 October 2023. The deadline for responses was extended to 15 November 2023 to facilitate comprehensive feedback from stakeholders. URCA thanks Cable Bahamas Limited and Be Aliv Limited and The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited for their respective responses. URCA has carefully considered all responses, leading…
The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) is pleased to announce the publication of its Statement of Results and Final Decision following a comprehensive public consultation process on proposed revisions to the Consumer Protection Regulations for the Electronic Communications Sector (ECS). This process commenced on 18 September 2023, with an extended deadline for responses to accommodate comprehensive feedback from stakeholders. The original Consumer Protection Regulations, introduced in December 2013 and revised in February 2014, have been instrumental in safeguarding consumer interests within the ECS. However, evolving market dynamics and URCA’s experiences in addressing consumer complaints necessitated a review to ensure…
The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) announces its preliminary findings and invites public commentary on the review of the state of competition within the markets for retail fixed electronic communications services in The Bahamas. This encompasses retail fixed voice, retail fixed broadband, and retail pay TV services. In its comprehensive Preliminary Determination, URCA has outlined its provisional assessment of the competitive dynamics within these markets and the consequent need for continued ex-ante regulation to ensure fair competition and consumer protection. URCA is now seeking feedback on its initial stance through written responses to consultation questions detailed in the document. …
