TRC probing Flow, Digicel, CCT

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission is currently investigating the prices the territory’s wireless providers are charging for data, according to Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool.

Mr. Vanterpool (R-D4) made the announcement during last week’s House of Assembly sitting in response to a question from opposition member Julian Fraser (R-D3), who asked about the carriers’ allegedly high rates.

“The commission is currently investigating this area, and as this is an ongoing investigation I do not wish to comment further at this time about it,” the minister said. “I will, however, provide further details at the conclusion of this investigation.”

Mr. Vanterpool’s announcement comes on the heels of a United Kingdom study released last month that ranked the territory 181^st out of 196 jurisdictions in the world on broadband internet affordability.

As justification for the investigation, Mr. Vanterpool pointed to section 29 of the Telecommunications Act, 2006. Though the section stipulates that prices for telecommunication services should be market-driven, it gives the TRC the power to establish “price-regulation regimes” when the commission detects anti-competitive pricing or acts of unfair competition.

TRC CEO Guy Malone could not be reached for comment, nor could representatives from Digicel, Flow, or CCT, the territory’s three telecommunications providers.

Study

The affordability study was conducted by BDRC Continental, a UK-based independent research consultancy, and Cable.co.uk, a firm that helps British consumers comparison shop for telecommunications services.

They analysed 3,000 broadband packages around the globe, including conducting four tests in the VI on March 17.

According to the study, the average customer in the territory paid $146.05 per month for internet service. The only more expensive countries in the Caribbean region were Haiti, where customers paid $224.19 per month on average; the Cayman Islands, where they paid $175.27; and Antigua and Barbuda, where they paid $153.78.

The cheapest Caribbean country was St. Martin, which ranked 19 for its average monthly internet package of $20.72.

Customers in the neighbouring US Virgin Islands paid an average of $88.02 per month.

BDRC and Cable.co.uk also released a speed-based study in August, which ranked the VI 73^rd out of 196 countries, with the average speed of 5.49 megabits per second, meaning it could take users more than three hours to download a full-length movie.

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