NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) has issued its consultation on the proposed revisions of the consumer protection regulations for the electronic communications sector in The Bahamas.The regulations were originally introduced nearly a decade ago. Given the time that has passed since the regulations were published, the changes that have occurred in the sector markets, and URCA’s experience with handling consumer complaints since 2013, URCA’s proposed revisions intend to make the regulations up-to-date and fit for purpose; clarify ambiguous parts of the regulations; and issue new measures in areas where consumers were not protected.Some key…
The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) has released a draft revised 2023 – 2026 Electronic Communications Sector Policy (ECS Policy), which revises the ECS Policy published in the Official Gazette on 19th March, 2020. As with the preceding policy documents, this 2023 draft policy document provides a three-year outlook for the Electronic Communications Sector (ECS) in The Bahamas. Full PDF can be found below: ECS Policy Doc Released for Public Consultation 2023-2026 Draft ECSP Consultation
Over the course of the past few months, the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) has received an increasing number of complaints from customers of Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) about high electricity bills.Part of URCA’s remit as the regulator for the electricity sector in The Bahamas is to ensure consumer protection and support appropriate billing.URCA considers electricity a basic necessity that should be affordable and remains concerned about the impact of high electricity bills on BPL’s customers and the economy.Considering the widespread complaints, and in accordance with its commitment to protect consumers, URCA has been monitoring the situation. Full…
The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) is currently conducting an investigation of numerous outages in electronic communications services throughout The Bahamas in recent months.In August alone, there were significant outages in Andros, the Berry Islands, Exuma, Inagua, Mayaguana and Ragged Island. To date, services have been restored on these islands.Outages and disruptions such as these, and those documented in previous months, have led to increased public concern over the reliability and quality of electronic communications services in The Bahamas.URCA shares that concern and has been consistently engaging with all its stakeholders, which include BTC.On 1 September, URCA met with…
