On 28 February 2024, URCA published its preliminary findings on its market review of retail fixed electronic communications services in The Bahamas and launched a two-round consultation to receive public feedback. URCA now publishes the responses from The Bahamas Telecommunications Company Limited (‘BTC’) and The Cable Bahamas Limited Group (‘CBL Group’) received during the first round of consultation. The CBL Group’s response was redacted to protect commercially sensitive information. As part of the second round, URCA invites public feedback on the views of the first-round respondents. The deadline to respond is Monday, 10 June 2024. For further information, please contact:…
Market openness and vigorous competition are crucial as they create incentives for firms to be more efficient and innovative. When firms compete, they strive to offer better products and services at lower prices which ultimately benefits consumers and businesses by providing more choices, improved quality, and cost-effective options. This is particularly true for the Electronic Communications Sector (ECS) and Electricity Sector (ES) as they underpin all other areas of the economy of The Bahamas. In this context, URCA is publishing Competition Guidelines - URCA 05/2024. The revised guidelines address URCA's expanded scope of regulatory oversight. Originally, guidelines were prepared for…
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…
