Bahrain’s Telecommunication Regulatory Authority has issued a consultation document of guidelines for setting the amount of fines for violations.

The ‘Fining Guidelines’ are part of the authority’s continued effort to improve and implement regulations in the telecommunications sector and position itself as a role model for regulation, said a statement.

It is aimed at allowing for transparent and non-discriminatory fining practice and to ensure that adequate account is taken when calculating the quantum of the fine with regards to proportionality, objective justification, adequate deterrence and regard for the principle of justice and equality.

The Telecom Law was first considered to develop the guidelines, along with other benchmarks from the EU, UK, France, Germany, Singapore and New Zealand, said the statement.

Ahmed Alabsi, manager of Legal Affairs, said: “The main call to issue these guidelines is to have justified fines that are in line with the justice and equality principles and to be transparent with everyone on how we calculate the quantum of fines.  

“It was also one of the Flag Arbitration panel’s recommendations. I believe some operators have shown interest in such guidelines previously too.” - TradeArabia News Service