Public Consultation on ECS Licence Modification

20 August 2024

URCA committed in its 2024 Annual Plan to review the ECS licences due to expire in 2024 to assess the current relevance of the conditions specified in the licences. URCA began an informal licence and exemption revision process in the third trimester (T3) of 2023, which included a comprehensive internal analysis of the existing conditions of the ECS individual licences, class licences and exemptions.

URCA also took into consideration the Government’s ECS Policy, responses to various consultations, decisions and regulations issued by URCA, and market developments since 2009, when the existing licenses and exemptions were initially established. Additionally, in compliance with the Comms Act, URCA endeavoured to harmonise the conditions of the proposed licences and exemptions, so that all Licensees would be subject to non-discriminatory licence and exemption conditions, to the greatest extent possible.

This exercise culminated in URCA developing the proposed revised versions of the ECS individual licences, class licences and exemptions (the “Proposed Revised Licences and Exemptions”), which are the subject of this consultation.

URCA is seeking views from licensees, stakeholders, and other interested persons on the matters set out in this Consultation Document which, in the opinion of URCA, are of public significance. URCA considers the following are the key objectives of this consultation process:

• to further the policy objectives of the ECS as provided in Section 4 of the Comms Act;
• to set out URCA’s Proposed Revised Licences and Exemptions;
• to set out URCA’s rationale for the proposed Revised Licences and Exemptions;
• to set out URCA’s draft Revised Licences and Exemptions documents;
• to set out URCA’s proposed process for renewal of licences and exemptions;
• to set out URCA’s proposed approach to the payment of licence fees by delinquent licensees; and
• to invite feedback/written comments from stakeholders, licensees, and other interested persons on the matters contained in the Consultation Document.

URCA invites responses on this Consultation Document from all stakeholders, licensees and interested persons. Responses must be submitted to URCA by 5:00 p.m. on 20 September 2024. Written responses or comments on this Consultation Document should be sent to URCA’s Director of Electronic Communications (or designate), either:

• by mail to P.O. Box N 4860, Nassau, Bahamas; or
• by email, to info@urcabahamas.bs.

The document can be found below:

URCA ECS 722024 Licence Review Consultation Document and Annexes