These Competition Guidelines are designed to assist Licensees, and other interested Persons, in understanding how the competition provisions of the Comms Act and the Electricity Act will apply in practice with regards to procedural and substantives aspects and to determine if their conduct complies with these rules.
These Guidelines set out URCA’s position on Competition Law principles but do not legally bind URCA. Whilst it is expected that URCA will follow the principles and approach outlined in these Guidelines, URCA reserves the right to consider other factors not covered in these Guidelines where necessary. URCA will undertake its assessment on a case-by-case basis, with due account being taken of all the facts of the case and the dynamics of competition on the relevant market. Other interested Persons such as the general public or Customers (including consumers such as residential and businesses) may also file complaints to URCA if they were to suspect any anticompetitive conduct. URCA will review and update these Guidelines from time to time to take account of best practice and to reflect developments in legal interpretation and economic thinking. A Full PDF of the document can be found below. URCA 05/2024 - Competition GuidelinesThe Competition Guidelines set out URCA’s Competition Policy and are intended to assist
Licensees, and other interested persons, in understanding how the competition provisions would
apply in practice with regards to procedural and substantives aspects, and to determine if their
conduct are complying with these rules. They also provide guidance on how a competition
complaint may be submitted.
As part of this review, URCA has taken into account, amongst others, its experience from the
application of the Competition Guidelines to date, as the current state and foreseeable
developments in the ES and ECS, and competition guidelines adopted elsewhere. This is to ensure
that any insights gained from the practical applications of the Guidelines are taken into account
and that the converged Guidelines remain fit for purpose. Additionally, by reviewing competition
guidelines in other jurisdictions that share similar characteristics or with a well-established
Competition Law doctrine, URCA aims to align its Competition Guidelines with international best
practices.
The purpose of this consultation is to: (i) present URCA’s proposed revisions to the Competition
Guidelines; and to (ii) invite feedback from all relevant persons on the proposed revision.
The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (“URCA”) issues this Notice in accordance with section 8(1)(e) Communications Act, 2009 (“Comms Act”). TAKE NOTICE that on 14 September 2022 URCA issued a Final Determination, having determined that IP Solutions International Ltd. (“the Licensee”) breached Conditions 4.1 and 4.4 of the Individual Operating Licence (“the Licence”) issued by URCA to the Licensee on 28 October 2009;
The Full PDF document can be found below.URCA now invites proposals from experienced and competent experts to provide the following consulting services: A Review of The Bahamas Power and Light Company Limited (BPL) Fuel Charge.
A copy of the full RFP may be downloaded below: Request For Proposal - Consultancy Services BPL Fuel Charge ReviewIn this document, the Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (“URCA”) issues its Statement of Results and Next Steps with respect to URCA’s Public Consultation on the revision of the existing Competition Guidelines.
URCA published its Consultation Document on the proposed revisions to the Competition Guidelines on 21 December 2023 (“Consultation Document”).1 The Consultation Document set out, inter alia, the following:
URCA also conducted on 18 January 2024 a half-day seminar at its offices in addition to being streamed by zoom. The seminar was attended to by licensees and members of the general public.
The responses to the Consultation Document were due on 21 February 2024.
URCA replies to the main comments it has received from BTC and the CBL Group and sets out its next steps. In doing so, URCA expressly states that the absence on its part of a response in this document to any comment made by any of the respondents does not necessarily signify URCA’s agreement in whole or in part with such comment, that URCA has not considered such comment, or that URCA considers the comment immaterial or without merit.
A Full Copy of the PDF can be found below. URCA 04/2024 - Statement of Results and Final Decision - Revision of the Competition GuidelinesThe Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (‘URCA’) issues this Statement of Results and Final Decision following the public consultation on its proposed revisions to the Consumer Protection Regulations for the Electronic Communications Sector (‘ECS’). URCA published the consultation on 18 September 2023.1 The original deadline for responses was 19 October 2023 however the deadline was extended to 30 October 2023 by request to allow for additional time to respond.
The Consumer Protection Regulations (‘Regulations’) were originally published on 30 December 2013 followed by a revised document referred to as Version 1.0.1 published on 7 February 2014.2 Due to the changes that have occurred in the sector and URCA’s experience with handling consumer complaints since the Regulations were first published, URCA found it necessary to update the Regulations to make them fit for purpose, clarify any ambiguity, and issue new measures in areas where consumers were not protected.
A copy of the full document may be downloaded below: ECS 02/2024 - Statement of Results and Final Decision - Revisions to the Consumer Protection Regulations for the Electronic Communications Sector