Business
Monopoly concerns in Telecommunications Industry of proposed LIME/Flow merger
“Such as giving more band-wells, a better price per megabyte of service, so we would not like to see the LIME/Flow merged entity rolling back on some of these concessions that were very positive for the consuming public,” he noted.
Fletcher said the existing legislation guiding the operation guiding the operations of the telecommunications sector should be updated to among other things, back date the establishment of a fair trade commission to protect the interests of consumers.
Last month, the regulator warned that both CWC and Columbus Communications could be in breach of their licenses if they engage in activities, which can unfairly prevent, restrict, or distort competition.
The statement from ECTEL last Wednesday, was in response to the proposed purchase of Columbus (Flow) by CWC (LIME) announced earlier.
It said that in reviewing the preliminary information available on the planned purchase, under the current regulatory regime, telecommunications license holders including CWC and Columbus maybe in breach of their licenses.
“The decision to combine business by the 2 companies can have a negative impact on the telecoms sector and this has provided further impetus for the revision of existing legislation and rules governing competition in the sector, including the proposed new Electronic Communications Bill,” ECTEL statement read in part.
The regulator cautioned that this development could potentially result in a negative impact on competition, and reduce choice by consumers of both services and service providers. -(CMC)
Columbus Communications (Flow) is a cable television and Broadband speed Internet service provider. Operating as a regional media company, Flow is currently financially based in Barbados and provides services in the Bahamas, Grenada, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. The company is the brain-child of Jamaican billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Lee-Chin.
