TRA Bahrain publishes new guidelines
Manama, March 26, 2014
Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has published two important documents with guidelines for consumer protection and ensuring transparency and non-discriminatory practices.
It includes the ‘Fining Guidelines’ and the ‘Consultation on the Dispute Resolution Guidelines.’
The Fining Guidelines followed a consultation process, launched in December 2013, which saw submissions from Zain, Viva and Batelco, where the TRA has published fining guidelines for the setting of the amount of a fine for violations of Articles 35 and/or 65 of the Telecommunications Law.
The guidelines also serve to ensure that the amount of any fine will serve as a sufficient deterrent against any further violations.
As part of its initiatives under its three-year plan, the TRA has also launched a public consultation on the Draft Dispute Resolution Guidelines.
The five-step process being introduced is for determining inter-operator disputes, which also involves an informal stage where the TRA will seek to act as a mediator between the parties to try and reach an agreeable settlement.
Key performance indicators with very strict timelines are being introduced to ensure that the TRA can measure its own performance.
The guidelines also set out the information that is expected to be provided by the parties in dispute.
In drafting the guidelines, the TRA took into account the best industry practices by incorporating some of the principles adopted by Ofcom in the UK, Comreg in Ireland and the MCA in Malta. - TradeArabia News Service
